"Re-Inventing the Noodle" #MoviesandMunchies

This month I am hosting the #MoviesandMunchies group as we watch Letters to Juliet. You can read my invitation here which includes a brief plot summary. It's really not that much more complicated than that, but it is enjoyable. At least I found it enjoyable! You can read the Risotto all'Amarone that I have already shared this month. Stay tuned for more. I always find movies set in Italy a culinary inspiration.

from imdb.com

There is a scene in the kitchen of Victor's soon-to-open restaurant when he gushes that he has reinvented the noodle. He keep breaking off pieces and making Sophie taste his "inventions." Ha. The ridiculousness of a person reinventing the noodle stuck with me. I mean, I have a hard time believing that Italian nonne haven't made every possible iteration of a noodle.

So, I am just going to share my favorite standard: hand-rolled noodles. I do switch it up by the kind of salt that I use, but why change something that is already fabulous?

We make a lot of noodles, including: Gluten-Free Rombi; Hand-Rolled, Hand-Cut Spinach Papardelle; and Maltagliati . Though homemade pasta takes a little bit of technique, it requires very few ingredients.

Ingredients makes 4 to 6 servings

Dough

• 2 cups pasta flour plus more for dusting
• 3 eggs
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 2 Tablespoons olive oil
• Also needed: plastic wrap, rolling pin, pasta drying rack (optional

Procedure

Dough

Place flour in a heap on a clean workspace. Use a measuring cup or just create a hollow in the flour.

Break eggs into the hollow. Sprinkle in the salt. Use a fork to incorporate the eggs into the flour. Add in the olive oil. Knead into a smooth dough, approximately 8 to 10 minutes. Wrap the dough ball in plastic wrap and let rest for 30 minutes. 

To roll: Slice your dough ball into quarters. Cover the portions you aren't rolling. Turn the rested dough out onto a lightly dusted board and roll out as thinly as you can. I found that rolling it into a long rectangle make the most even strips. If you don't have a rolling pin, a wine bottle works well! 

Once the pasta dough is as thin as you can get it, starting at one (short) end of the rectangle, roll the dough into a cylinder.

  

With a sharp knife, hand cut the roll into pieces whose width is the width you want for your pasta. I went about the width of linguine. Carefully unroll the strips and you're all set.

You can hang them to dry a little bit before cooking. We usually just hang them to get them off the counter. 

Cook in salted, boiling water. Because they are fresh, they cook fairly quickly. As soon as they float, they are ready. Drain and use with your favorite sauce.