Fresh Egg Pasta 

To Make Fresh Spinach Pasta:

Pasta made with fresh spinach has not only a bright green color but also a good flavor. To make fresh spinach pasta, use 3 cups flour, 3 large eggs, and 1 pound of fresh spinach, cooked, squeezed dry, and very finely chopped (about ¾ cup cooked spinach). Combine the ingredients as for Fresh Egg Pasta belowt. Makes about 1¼ pounds of pasta.

Preparing the Dough by Hand:

Pour the flour into a mound on a countertop or large pasta board. A rough surface such as wood or plastic is better than a smooth one such as marble or granite. With a fork, make a wide hole in the center of the mound. Pour the eggs and olive oil into the hole and begin stirring with one hand, gradually incorporating some of the flour from the inside of the hole. Use your other hand to support the wall of flour surrounding the eggs, so they don’t spill out.

When the dough forms a ball and becomes too firm to stir, in about 1 minute, sweep the remaining flour to one side. Lightly flour your hands and begin kneading. Push the dough away with the heels of your hands and pull it back toward you with your fingertips. Turn the dough as you are doing this for even kneading. Continue kneading, gradually incorporating some of the remaining flour until the ball becomes somewhat smooth, feels moist, and is only slightly sticky, about 3 minutes. Add only enough flour to create a firm ball of dough, or it may become too dry.

Put the dough aside for a moment and cover it with an inverted bowl. Wash and dry your hands to remove hardened scraps of dough. Scrape the kneading surface clean with a plastic or metal dough scraper or spatula to remove any hardened pieces of dough and excess flour that might later cause lumps. Throw out the scraps.

Lightly dust your hands with flour. Resume kneading the dough until it is smooth and elastic, moist yet not sticky, about 8 to 10 minutes. Add more flour if necessary. There should be no streaks of flour on the dough, and the color should be evenly yellow. The more the dough is kneaded, the lighter and more resilient the pasta will be, so do not skimp on kneading. Work quickly so that the dough does not dry out.

Making the Dough with a Food Processor or Heavy-Duty Mixer:

Pour the eggs and olive oil into a food processor fitted with the steel blade, or into the bowl of a heavy-duty electric mixer fitted with the flat beater. With the machine running, begin adding the flour a tablespoon at a time. Mix until the dough forms a ball and cleans the inside of the bowl, about 1 minute. Pinch the dough. It should feel moist but not sticky and should be fairly smooth. If not, add more flour as needed.

Place the dough on a lightly floured surface and knead it for 1 minute, adding more flour if necessary, until it is firm, smooth without streaks of flour, and moist but not sticky.

Spinach Pasta: Pasta made with fresh spinach has not only a bright green color but also a good flavor. To make fresh spinach pasta, use 3 cups flour, 3 large eggs, and 1 pound of fresh spinach, cooked, squeezed dry, and very finely chopped (about ¾ cup cooked spinach). Combine the ingredients as for Fresh Egg Pasta at left. Makes about 1¼ pounds of pasta.

Letting the Dough Rest:

Whether you have made it by hand or machine, cover the dough with an inverted bowl and let it rest for 30 minutes or up to 2 hours at room temperature.

Rolling Out the Dough By Hand:

Lightly dust a countertop or large board with flour. Be sure that the surface is perfectly flat and not warped.

Cut the dough into 2 pieces. It may feel moister after it rests because the eggs have absorbed the flour. While you work with one piece, keep the remainder covered. With your hands, shape one piece of dough into a disk. Choose a wooden rolling pin at least 24 inches long and 1½ to 2 inches wide and dust it lightly with flour. Place the pin in the center and push it away from you toward the edge of the dough. Rotate the dough a quarter turn, center the pin on it and push it toward the edge once more. Repeat, rotating the dough and rolling it out from the center, keeping the shape round and the thickness even, until the dough reaches the desired thinness. Flip the dough over from time to time to be sure it is not sticking. If necessary, dust lightly with flour.

Work quickly so that the dough does not dry out. If it should tear, pinch it together or patch it with a small piece of dough from the edge. The dough is ready when it is very thin and you can easily see your hand through it when it is held up to the light. Roll out the remaining dough in the same way. Be sure to make all of the dough pieces of equal thickness. Turn the pieces often so that they do not stick. If the dough will be used to make stuffed pasta such as ravioli, it should be kept covered so that it remains pliable. Use it as soon as possible.

Cut the dough into the desired size and shape while it is still soft and pliable.

Rolling Out the Dough with a Pasta Machine

Following the manufacturer’s instructions, clamp the pasta machine to one end of a large countertop or sturdy table. Set the rollers at the widest opening and dust them lightly with flour.

Cut the dough into 4 to 6 pieces. It may feel moister after it rests because the eggs have absorbed the flour. While you work with one piece, keep the remainder covered. Flatten one piece of dough into an oval disk. Turn the handle of the pasta machine with one hand while the other guides the piece of dough through the rollers. If the dough sticks or tears, dust it lightly with flour.

Remove the dough from the machine and fold it lengthwise into thirds. Pass the dough through the machine again, flouring it if necessary.

Close the rollers slightly by moving the dial to the next notch. Pass the dough through the rollers. As the dough emerges, lift it straight out so that it stays flat without wrinkling. Do not fold it.

Continue to pass the dough through the machine, moving the dial up one notch each time until the desired thinness is reached. This will vary according to the machine, but I usually stop at the second-to-last setting for fettuccine and flat pasta and the last notch for stuffed pasta. The pasta should be thin enough that you can see your hand through it without tearing. Don’t be tempted to re-roll scraps of dough. Hardened edges can stick in the machine and tear the pasta.

Lay the strip of dough on a lightly floured kitchen towel. Roll out the remaining dough in the same way. Be sure to make all of the strips of equal thickness. Turn the pieces often so that they do not stick. If the dough will be used to make stuffed pasta such as ravioli, it should be kept covered so that it remains pliable. Use it as soon as possible.

Cut the dough into the desired size and shape while it is still soft and pliable.

Making Pasta Noodles:

Lasagne, papardelle, fettuccine, tagliatelle, and tagliarini are all flat ribbons of pasta. Their use depends on the type of sauce you are making and regional preferences. Generally, the lighter the sauce, the narrower the pasta.

Make the pasta as described above.

Let the dough dry until it is slightly leathery but still pliable, about 20 minutes.