Recipe of the Week

Photo Credits: http://betterwithbutter.com/pasta-procrastination/

Grandmom Leva's Christmas Eve Pasta

Ingredients:

6 large eggs + 1 egg yolk 6 cups of all-purpose flour 6 egg shells full of water (approx 1 tbs. = 1 egg shell full) 1 tsp salt Olive oil

Directions:

1) Put all 6 cups of flour onto a clean counter. Create a well in the center using three fingers. It should look like a shallow volcano.

2) Crack all the eggs plus 1 egg yolk into the center of the well. Add salt. Slightly scramble the eggs with a fork or your fingers. Slowly start incorporating flour from the sides of the well into the eggs.

3) Once the eggs and flour form a paste, start to incorporate all the remaining flour. The dough will be pretty dry so add the water. (It will be messy but that’s good!) **If the dough is still sticky, add a little bit of olive oil, about 1 tsp at a time until it is a soft, cohesive ball.

4) Knead for 5-10 minutes. The more you knead, the better the pasta will be. After 10 minutes, cut the dough in half. If you see a few air bubbles in the center of the dough, it is ready. If no bubbles, keep kneading.

5) Rest the kneaded dough for half an hour in a covered bowl or under a towel. Cut it into your desired shape (lasagna, tagliatelle, spaghetti, etc.)

The pasta can be used for lasagna when rolled out into thin sheets, or cut into thick strips for tagliatelle and fettuccine. It is best if you cook it immediately. If you want to save it for future use, let whatever shape (fettuccine, spaghetti, lasagna) you are using air dry for about 5 minutes. Then cook it (no longer than 2-3 minutes, fresh pasta does not take long to cook. It will float when done), cool it, dry it, and put into plastic bags to store in freezer. It will last for about a month like this.