If you made pasta from scratch, would you feel safe drying it over night before cooking it,...?!

I made some once, a long time ago, but have been thinking about doing it again sometime soon, as I love fresh pasta.

It does have to dry. They've made pasta this way for years, so I would guess that you will be fine leaving it out even with egg in your pasta. There are egg-less pastas, though, if you are worried. To make an eggless pasta, substitute 3/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons water for the eggs in the recipe below. The recipe I just found doesn't call for semolina, and can be rolled out:
3 cups unbleached flour 4 large eggs, at room temperature 1 teaspoon salt (optional) Note: Altitude, humidity, and the size of the eggs will influence the amount of flour needed.
Place flour on a pastry board or counter top (wood surfaces work best). Make a well in the center of the flour. Break eggs into the well. Beat the eggs with a fork. Gently work some flour from the side of the well into the egg mixture. Keep adding flour a little at a time, beating constantly. Continue until a soft dough has been formed it becomes difficult to mix the dough with a fork.

Sprinkle board and hands with flour and begin to knead the dough. Add more flour as needed. Continue until dough is smooth, pliable, and quite elastic (usually about 10 minutes). You should be able to stick your finger into the middle of the dough and have it come out dry. Divide the dough in 3 parts, forming each into a ball. Place each ball in a plastic bag to prevent drying out. Let dough rest for 15 minutes.


Place 1 ball of dough on a lightly floured board. Flatten it slightly by hand. Using a floured rolling pin, roll out dough. Start from the center and move towards the edges. Stretch it with your hands as you roll it. Roll dough into a wide circle. To prevent sticking, dust the surface with flour as needed and flip dough over often. Continue to roll and stretch dough until it is about 1/16 to 1/8 of an inch thick. Sprinkle lightly with flour and let it rest and dry for about 15 minutes on a lightly floured dry towel.
1) Score each sheet into desired noodle with and place sheets on dryer tray. Dry for about 2 hours then separate noodles along scored lines. Return noodles to the dryer and dry for 3 more hours or until noodles break when bent. (2) Roll sheet into a jelly roll and cut roll into desired width. Gently unwind noodles and hang on pasta rack or lay them on trays. Dry 3-5 hours.
(3) If using a pasta machine, follow the steps above up to rolling the dough. Then, follow the instructions provided with your machine.

http://www.dryit.com/pasta.html



It's not hard to do, and is worth the effort! Now I am REALLY in the mood to make some good pasta! Ciao!

Oooh--spinach pasta! That would be even better--so pretty!


spinach pasta (serves 6)
One of the classic flavored pastas – beautiful and flavorful.
? packed cup cooked spinach, minced as finely as humanly possible*
2 ? cups flour, plus more as needed
3 eggs
1 tsp salt
* You’ll need one good-sized bunch of spinach, leaves only. Here's how I cook spinach: Wash well but don’t dry; place in a pot with ? cup of water. Cover and bring to a boil. Lower heat and steam for a few minutes until the leaves are soft and wilty. Drain in a wire-mesh strainer, pushing on the spinach with the back of a spoon to make sure you get as much liquid out as possible.


http://www.digsmagazine.com/nourish/nour…



and here is a blog that shows that they used regular coat hangers as a drying rack! Cheap innovation!

Yes, you can cook it right away. Most fresh pasta recipes do tell you to cook it immediately or after a short resting period.

Yes, you can certainly use a rolling pin, but it will be difficult to get the pasta as thin as the machine would, so just be prepared for a slightly thicker product.

Check the internet for pasta recipes. If the recipe calls for the drying the pasta it will tell you how long. You do need a recipe and you need to follow it carefully. Here is a You Tube video link for making pasta. It does use the pasta machine but you can roll it out.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C9LHk0AJI… -

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C9LHk0AJI… -

You don't need to worry about the egg in pasta when you dry it. Once you cook it in boiling water, anything it might have picked up will be dead.

It only takes a few hours (overnight) to dry fresh pasta to a point where it can be stored in the refrigerator for up to a week. Freeze it if you're not going to use it by then. And when you make fresh pasta, it generally should be enough for one or two meals... not huge amounts that need to be stored long-term. It's really not meant for that.

Bon Appetit.

Fresh pasta only needs to short time to dry. I usually dry mine on a rack or tea towel for 1-2 hours and then cook in boiling salted water.

Japan Australia Blog
http://japan-australia.blogspot.com/sear…

And you don’t need a drying rack.

It’s nice to have one, but not an absolute necessity.

Roll the dough, make your cuts and carefully place the noodles on a dry tea towel. Set in a place where it won’t be disturbed. If you are concerned about dust, you can place a sheet of parchment paper or even paper towels over the drying pasta. Just let it dry.
You are going to cook the egg, when you cook the pasta and it’s really OK

Semolina is usually available in most super markets these days. If not, Whole Foods always has it. And of course you can order anything online.

Have fun.
There is nothing better than real homemade pasta!