Name: Fresh Herb Pasta
Total time: 1 h 20 min
Cuisine: ItalianEurope
Ingredients: 3 large eggs; 1 1/2 teaspoons olive oil; 3 cups unbleached all-purpose flour , sifted; 3/4 teaspoon table salt , plus extra for cooking; 1/2 cup minced fresh herbs (Italian parsley, basil, mint, or any combination)

Why This Recipe Works

For the best homemade pasta recipes, we discovered a few tricks: Adding a little oil to egg pasta to increased its elasticity and made it easier to work with. Kneading hydrated the dough, so we took care to mix well before adding more liquid, even if the dough seemed dry at first. After we made our pasta recipe, we set it aside for at least 30 minutes before cooking to relax the gluten.

Instructions

Place selected pasta rolling machine die in small bowl, cover with hot tap water, and set aside.

Place eggs and oil in glass measuring cup. Add enough water so that you have 3/4 cup liquid. Beat with fork and set aside.

Remove die from hot water and install according to manufacturer’s directions. Add flour, salt, and herbs to mixing chamber. Turn on machine and slowly pour liquid ingredients through opening in cover, adding about 3/4 cup during first minute or two. Mix approximately 2 to 3 minutes, or until dough forms soft, pea-sized crumbs. If dough appears too dry, add remaining egg mixture, 1 tablespoon at a time, until pasta reaches proper consistency.

Switch machine to extrusion mode and extrude pasta. Use knife to slice off first 2 inches of pasta and discard. Continue to extrude and cut pasta at desired lengths with serrated knife. Set pasta aside on towels 30 minutes before using. (Pasta can be kept at room temperature for 2 hours or placed in a zipper-lock plastic bag and refrigerated for 12 hours or frozen for 1 month.)

Bring abundant water to boil in large pot. Add salt to taste and as much pasta as desired. Cook until al dente, 3 to 4 minutes if at room temperature or chilled, and about 5 minutes if frozen.