Recipe: Fresh Pasta

1 Sift the flour and semolina into a bowl. Add the salt. Make a well in the center and add the eggs, olive oil, and water. Mix everything together until you get a ball. You can use a mixer or work by hand.

2 Cover and let rest for about an hour at room temperature.

3 After resting, divide the dough into small pieces. Flour as needed depending on the dough's consistency, which shouldn't be sticky.

4 Using a pasta machine, flatten one end of the dough piece and feed it through the machine at setting 1. You can repeat this several times depending on the dough's consistency, which should form supple and firm strips. Then continue progressively through to setting 5, the ideal thickness for spaghetti and tagliatelle.

5 Without a machine, follow the same principle but roll it out with a rolling pin, which will be less uniform. Given the dough's consistency, it's quite physical work. You'll only be able to cut tagliatelle by hand with a knife.

6 After cutting, flour the pasta and let it dry for 2 to 3 hours. Here's a clever trick: I used a curtain rod and a broomstick placed parallel about 20 centimeters apart. It really works well.

7 After drying, gently place the pasta in a sealed plastic container until ready to use.

8 Cooking time: about 3 to 4 minutes depending on thickness.

9 The flour mixture I suggest can be replaced with whole grain organic flour.

10 To color the dough red, add a bit of tomato paste. To color it green, add a bit of reduced spinach cooking liquid.