FRESH PASTA FOR ELEANORA SCARPETTA'S FETTUCCINE ALFREDO

Fresh Pasta for Eleanora Scarpetta's Fettuccine Alfredo image

Use Eleanora Scarpetta's recipe for fresh pasta to make her irresistible Fettucine Alfredo.

Provided by Martha Stewart

Yield Makes 1 1/2 pounds

Number Of Ingredients 4

Ingredients

3 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
5 large eggs
1 teaspoon extra-virgin olive oil
1/2 teaspoon salt

Steps:

Mound flour in the center of a work surface, forming a well in the center. Crack the eggs into the well. Add oil and salt.
Beat eggs with a fork until smooth. Gradually work flour into the eggs.
Use a bench scraper to work in the rest of the flour, a bit at a time.
Once all the flour has been incorporated, start working the dough with your hands to form a rounded mass for kneading. Be sure the work surface is clean of all loose bits of dough; lightly dust with flour. Knead the dough until smooth and elastic, about 10 minutes.
Cover the dough with an inverted bowl or plastic wrap; allow to rest 1 1/2 hours, or chill overnight.
Divide dough into large walnut-size pieces. Quickly knead and flatten each portion of dough into a disc; very lightly dust with flour. Feed through a pasta machine set at the machine's widest setting. (If pasta pulls or tears when passing through machine, simply sprinkle a little more flour over the dough, just before it's fed, to keep it from sticking. When finished, remove excess flour with a dry brush.) As the pasta sheet emerges, gently support it with your palm and guide it onto work surface. Fold the sheet lengthwise into thirds. Repeat sequence twice on the same setting to smooth dough and increase its elasticity. Thin the dough by passing it through even finer settings, one pass on each setting from widest to narrowest (machine settings differ -- some have as many as 10, others only six). Repeat with remaining dough.
Pass each portion of dough through cutting blade for desire thickness. To cut by hand; lightly fold sheets one at a time into thirds. Cut with a sharp knife into desired thickness.