BASIC RECIPE FOR PASTA--- FETTUCINE,TAGLIATELLE,TRENETTE, CANNELONI,PAPPARPELLE,AGNOLOTTI, TORTELLINI,ETC

Sift flour onto a board( or use a large bowl). Make a well in the center. Pour in eggs and salt. Add about 2 tbsp. water. Using hands,mix flour and eggs-rubbing the liquid and flour together with fingers. Add more water if mixture is too dry--2 tbsp. at a time. The pasta should become just soft enough to be formed into a ball.

Scrape up all the little bits of egg and flour that have not been absorbed in the pasta ball. The board must be free of crumbs. Sprinkle again with a light coat of flour. Knead the dough with the heel of your hand until smooth and elastic. This will take about 15 minutes. From time to time it is advisable to flour your hands and the board. Divide the dough into 2 or 3 pieces.

Using a rolling pin, roll out one piece at a time. Work the dough into very thin sheets. Roll out in one direction, stretching as you go---then in another. Sprinkle with flour. Turn and repeat. The dough must be dry enough not to stick to the rolling pin, thus the sprinkling with flour when necessary. When the sheets seem thin enough,continue rolling and stretching another 2 or 3 turns. Do the same to the other sections of dough.

*INGREDIENTS*

*DIRECTIONS*

CANNELLONI: Prepare egg pasta as directed. Dust sheets with flour. Roll loosely. Use a sharp knife and cut into 3 1/2"x4" rectangles. Dry for about 1 hour.Drop into boiling salted water for about 5 minutes. Remove carefully. Put into a bowl of cold salted water. Drain and dry by spreading on an absorbent towel. Stuff with desired stuffing and cook as directed for the stuffing.

LASAGNE:Prepare egg pasta es directed. Cut into 2" wide strips. Cook as for Fettucine if not to be baked. If to be baked, cook same as Cannelloni.

FETTUCCINE:Prepare egg pasta as directed. Dust with flour. Roll loosely. Use a sharp knife and cut into strips 1/2" wide. Spread on a cloth to dry for at least 30 minutes.Cook in a large quantity of boiling salted water-not less than 6 qts.- for about 5 minutes,until they rise to the top. Drain and serve in a heated dish with any sauce you prefer, or lots of fresh butter and grated cheese. If you wish to keep fettuccine,store at room temperature.

TAGLIATELLE:Another name for fettuccine.

TRENETTE:Prepare same dough for fettuccine--roll even thinner--about 1/8"thick. Cut into long strips about the thickness of a match. care must be taken to separate trenette to keep them from sticking together while drying.

*INGREDIENTS*

MACARONI---COOKING TIME

elbow 7-10 minutes

long 9-12 minutes

cut 9-12 minutes

SPAGHETTI

thin 6 minutes

regular 8-10 minutes

EGG NOODLES

fine 6-8 minutes

regular 8-10 minutes

wide 10-12 minutes

*DIRECTIONS*

PASTA COOKING TIMES

VARIETY SHAPES ------COOKING TIME

ALPHABETS 6-8 minutes

BUTTERFLIES(FANFALLE)9-12 minutes

MOSTACCIOLI 7-12 minutes

PASTINA 5-7 minutes

RIGATONI 9-12 minutes

MARUZZE(SEA SHELL) 7-10 minutes

LASAGNE 6-10 minutes

MANICOTTI 6-10 minutes

NOTE:Thin spaghetti is called VERMICELLI