My grandmalina made homemade Cavatelli for our Sunday family dinners. On any given week, she’d have over two dozen mouths to feed. Some wanted her tomato sauce, others only sweetened ricotta (you know who you are, cousin). It must have been a labor of love! A few years ago I taught my nieces and nephew how to make homemade pasta and it quickly became an annual tradition.

In 2016, my girlfriend Amy decided to start the tradition of hosting New Years Eve and we decided to have pasta making party that night too. Each year the party grows and even though our children are teens, they love the evening together with their cool parents.

Tips:

• You can store uncooked pasta in your pantry for months if you dry it out. Make nests of pasta on a sheet pan covered in flour. Toss the pasta a few times to make sure it isn’t sticking. Allow the pasta to sit out, at room temperature, for a day or two until it is dry and brittle. Store in an airtight container once completely dry. When cooking, it will take slightly longer to cook than fresh pasta dough.

• I have not found any of those pasta makers that extrude pasta dough to be very good. A simple hand crank one is great or if you have a stand mixer, I’d invest in the pasta attachment.

HOMEMADE PASTA

Should serve 6, but I’d say 4

Makes about 1- 1/2 lb.

INGREDIENTS

2.5 cup flour, about

4 eggs

INSTRUCTIONS

1. Pile the flour on your countertop and create a well in the middle.

2. One at a time crack an egg into the well and use a fork to break the egg and incorporate some flour into it. 

3. Continue to do this with each egg, trying to keep the walls of the well intact.  If it breaks, and it probably will, don’t worry.  Just use your hands to incorporate more flour into the egg.  

4. Depending on the humidity in your house you may need more flour or you may need a little water to dampen the dough.

5. Using the heel of your hand continue to knead the dough for about 8 minutes until it is smooth.  

6. If you are making the dough ahead of time you can wrap it tightly in plastic wrap and keep in a dry, cool place until you are ready to use.  

7. If you are making the pasta immediately, follow directions for your machine and rolls and cut the dough.  We have liked the fettuccini on a 4 setting.  

8. When you are ready to cook the pasta, it will take only about 3 minutes in salted, boiling water.