Fresh Pasta...is heavenly!

Our weekly pilgrimage to the farmer's market is like sending a child into a chocolate factory! This past week I noticed the fresh pasta stand and asked about the pasta.... SIX DOLLARS A POUND! Are you out of your mind? That is not to say fresh pasta isn't worth the price but the mark up is unbelievable. Here is the cost of the materials to make fresh pasta

10 oz of flour = $1.75/(5x16)=.02 x 10= .22 cents

2 eggs = .22 cents

1 tbs Olive Oil = .01 cent

3 tbs water = is like a .0001 cent so lets call round it up to a penny

1 tsp salt = .01 cent

Total cost of materials $0.47 (This recipe will yield approx. 15.5-16 oz of pasta dough.)

You'll have to figure your own labor costs. With the Kitchen Aid it takes (me) about 20 minutes to roll and cut the pasta.

My Kitchen Aid has three attachments: an adjustable roller, a cutter for fettuccine and a cutter for spaghetti. I roll my fettuccine until the adjustable roller is set to 6; spaghetti is rolled to 5.

The pasta making is the easy side of creating a pasta dinner. The hard part is making the sauce; ragu needs time to fully develop its flavors. Plan on making the sauce before starting your fresh pasta.

Here's what to do..

Put a large pot of water on to boil; by the time the pasta is ready to cook, the water will be boiling. (Adapted from Good Eats 2 by Alton Brown) Whisk wet ingredients with salt and pour into the center of the flour. Gently mix until all the flour is mixed. DO NOT KNEAD the pasta! Divide the dough in half and roll the pasta to desired thickness. Then, cut and toss into boiling water. The pasta will ready in about 2 minutes. Drain pasta and mix with sauce of your choice.