Hand Method: Heap the flour on a pastry board. Make a well in center and break eggs into it. Using a fork lightly beat eggs. With a circular movement, gradually incorporate flour from the wall of the well. Continue until all flour is incorporated. Using the palm and heal of your hand, knead dough as you would bread dough. Pushing it against the board and turning it constantly, until it is smooth, elastic and not too soft, at least 5 minutes. Food Processor Method: Combine flour and eggs in the work bowl fitted with the metal blade. Pulse briefly a few times to combine the ingredients. Then process using long pulses only until dough forms a ball around blade, about 1 minute. Turn dough out onto a pastry board and knead with the palm of your hand as described above. Rolling Out The Dough: To roll out the pasta, dust a clean board with 1/3 cup flour. Flatten the ball of dough with the palm of your hand and roll it out evenly, always rolling away from you and rotating the disk as it becomes thinner and thinner. It should be about 1/32 inch thick for tagliatelle (pasta cut into ribbons about 3/8 inch wide), lasagna and taglierini (pasta cut into ribbons about 1/8 inch wide) and 1/64 inch thick for filled pasta (tortellinifilled pasta formed into small rings, tortellonilarge filled pasta cut into squares, sometimes called ravioli). Lightly sprinkle a dish towel with flour and leave the pasta to dry a while on it, about 10 minutes, or less if the air is very dry. It should be left until it is neither sticky nor dry. Makes about 1 lb fresh pasta. Cutting, Filling, Sealing The Pasta: For filled pasta (tortelloni), cut dough into long strips about 3 inches wide using a fluted wheel. Place by spoon fulls of filling at regular intervals along the strip's center. With small brush dipped in water, moisten the pasta along the edges and between each mound of filling. Place another strip on top and press around each mound of filling to seal. With a cutting wheel, cut between the mounds to make individual filled pasta shapes. For tortellini, cut into rounds with a circular cutter about 2 inches in diameter. Place a spoonful of filling on each round. Brush the edges of the round with water, fold in half and pinch to seal. For shaping, first fold the sealed edge up to form a cuff. Brush the two corners of the half circle with water. Then, holding the straight edge of the half circle against the tip of your index finger, gently wrap the pasta around the finger and pinch the ends together. You will need only 12 ounces of pasta dough to make enough filled pasta for 6 people. For noodles, roll the pasta up into a cylinder, flatten the top lightly with your hand and using a sharp knife, cut across the roll into strips 3/8 inch wide for tagliatelle or fettuccine, 11/4 inches for pappardelle, a scant 1/8 inch for taglierini and 4 inches for lasagna. Lifting a few strips of pasta at a time, roll them into little nests about 2 inches wide and place them on a lightly floured dish towel. To make lasagna cut the strips into 4inch squares then place on a floured towel. To cook pasta perfectly al dente, begin with enough salted water to let pasta circulate freely. Fresh pasta generally takes 1 to 3 minutes. Dried is ready in 3 to 15 minutes. Storing pasta: Freshly made and cut pasta may be left at room temperature until completely dry, and will then keep for up to a week at cool room temperature. The dry pasta may also be wrapped airtight and refrigerated for up to 1 week or frozen for up to 3 months.

Dec 95