Homemade Whole Wheat Pasta

I think I could eat pasta everyday! I love it but I just wish it was good for me. I have switched to whole wheat pasta and I don't feel like I am really compromising on the taste. In fact, the flavor is very close to the regular pasta variety. Making pasta at home IS a bit of an effort but a lot of fun and definitely better to taste. I have a manual pasta machine at home, so it is a bit easier to roll it and cut it out, but a rolling pin would be just as good. Be brave and do try and make it yourself, even if it is only once! :)

Makes: 6 servings

Ingredients:

3 cups whole wheat flour (if it is your first time making pasta and you are a bit nervous of the taste and outcome, try using 1 and a half cups of whole wheat and 1 and a half cups of regular flour)

1/2 tsp salt

4 eggs

2 tsp olive oil

Mix the flour with the salt on a flat, clean surface. Make a hollow center and pour in the olive oil. Break the eggs into the hole one at a time, while quickly mixing with a fork until the dough is wet enough to bind. Knead on a slightly floured surface until dough it stiff. If your flour is a little bit old, it could possibly have dried out and may need a few tablespoons of water while kneading. Cover and let stand for about 30 minutes.

Roll out dough by hand with a rolling pin of use a pasta machine to achieve desired thickness of noodles (I used my pasta machine at the number 5 thickness setting). Cut into preferred width, shape and size. Allow pasta to dry on a cooling rack for at least 15 minutes to avoid having it to clump and stick together.

If you don't have a pasta machine, roll out the pasta dough with a rolling pin evenly on a lightly floured, flat surface to your desired thickness. Cut off the uneven edges to make a rectangle or square. Then, roll the flat dough like a cigar. Cut cross sections of the rolled up dough (like you would when making pinwheels, only thinner). Voila! Your pasta noodles are ready.

Tip: I find that a pizza cutter is a very convenient and efficient tool to cut pasta.

To cook fresh pasta: Bring a pot of salted water to a boil and drop in the water. Cook for 3-4 minutes (or till the pasta floats to the top) and drain. Do try the pasta before you drain it since the cooking time would depend on the flour you used and the thickness of your pasta.

Good Luck!