Cuisinart Pasta Noodles

For those of you who also have a Cuisinart Food Processor, try making your own flavorful pasta. Your family will brag about mom's talent. They are not only delicious but easy with the help of your Cuisinart. Give 'em a try, you'll be glad you did. But don't limit yourself to the basic recipe, try adding other seasoning (but not vegetables) to come up with an interesting flare.

Basic Pasta
2 cups unbleached all purpose flour
1 tsp salt, if desired (or/and other seasonings to change up the flavor)
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 tablespoon water
3 large eggs

Insert metal blade and add flour, salt, oil, and water to work bowl. Crack eggs into a cup measure. Turn on machine and pour eggs through feed tube all at once. Process for 15 seconds after eggs go in. Pasta mixture will almost form ball. Stop machine and scape work bowl. Process for another 30 seconds. By this time, dough should just about gather into mass that barely moves around work bowl. If dough has not completely formed ball at this point, do not be concerned. Carefully remove all dough from work bowl, scraping metal blade and work bowl clean, and place dough on large sheet of waxed paper or similar product. Compress dough into one lump with your hands. Dough should feel slightly moist but firm and not at all sticky. Next step is to knead dough with the metal blade. Again, insert metal blade, and turn on machine. Tear off walnut size pieces of dough and drop them through feed tube one at a time. After all dough is added, process for another 60 seconds. Dough should form a ball and move about freely around the bowl. Once ball is formed, process an additional 60 seconds. Remove ball of pasta from bowl, place in a plastic bag with a couple tablespoons flour to coat the ball and keep from sticking to plastic. Flatten slightly and let rest for 30 minutes.

Rolling and cutting pasta:

Cut flattened ball in half. Slightly flour a large surface and roll dough to 1/16 inch thick with rolling pin, into rectangular shape. Flour pasta ever so lightly, either roll up as for cinnamon rolls and then cut into slices of noodles with knife or leave open and cut into noodles with pizza cutter. Repeat with other half.

Cooking pasta:

Fresh pasta cooks in practically no time at all. Bring 6 quarts of water and 1 tsp salt to a boil over high heat. Drop in pasta and give a little stir. Allow water to come back to a boil and start testing pasta for doneness in about 1 minute. Test pasta frequently, and drain when "al dente". Serve at once with your favorite sauce or plain butter. Now wasn't that easy?