Fresh Pasta

• 1 Egg
• 100g Flour
• ~5g Salt

One egg provides roughly a portion of pasta for one person, so multiply this recipe by the number of people you want to feed. Pour the flour and salt into a large bowl, and make a well in the middle with a spoon. Break and gently beat the egg, before pouring it into the well. Stir the egg in the well, slowly incorporating flour from the walls of the well, until a paste starts to form. Mix the paste around the bowl, ensuring all the flour is consumed. The paste should be like a malleable ball of clay. If the paste seems excessively sticky, mix in some extra flour, and if it seems a little dry, mix in some extra water. Make your hands wet under a tap, and gently touch the ball of paste all over. This ensures that the surface does not dry out. Leave the ball of paste to rest in its bowl, covered by a tea towel, for around an hour. This is to allow the flour to fully absorb the water, and for the gluten in the pasta to relax. After resting, the pasta should feel softer, less "tense" , and more malleable.

• Extra flour for dusting

Dust some flour on a clean work surface, and gently knead the pasta a little. Use a rolling pin to flatten out the pasta. If the pasta begins to develop what look like stretch marks, or to feel "tense" or hard, stop rolling for a couple of minutes to allow the pasta to rest. If the stretch marks become a problem, fold the pasta over onto itself and re-roll a few times. Once the pasta reaches your desired thickness, you can use a knife to cut it into your desired shape.

• Salt
• Boiling Water

Heavily salt a pan of water on a rolling boil. Cook the pasta in the pan for around 3 minutes. The exact amount of time will depend on the final thickness of the pasta, so try eating a piece before the pasta is done, to determine whether it is cooked through.

A pasta machine makes it much easier to roll out pasta into thin sheets, and evenly cut it into various shapes. It's not necessary to make simple pasta shapes like tagliatelle though.