Noodles Noodles Noodles...Ow! My hands hurt!!

Ok, let me 1st start by saying that I don't love pasta. I say "love" because there's a few ways that I'll eat it and like it. But as a rule- I'm a weirdo and pasta is on the bottom of my totem pole of meals I like to cook. Ron however (like most people) DOES like pasta. Especially with my homemade sauces! The other day I was dreaming about my trip to Italy and remembering that for the very 1st time in my life I ate pasta that was SO GOOD!! Then I thought that maybe it was because it was fresh and had that delicate bite because it was REAL! It hadn't been sitting in a box in a supermarket for years! So thats' when I decided that I'd make Ron some fresh Fettucini Alfredo!
Obviously since I'm not a huge pasta fan I don't own any pasta making gadgets! In the past I've made raviolis and such from scratch and I started it by mixing the dough on the counter with a hole in the flour for the egg etc... but I was gifted a wonderful Cuisinart food processor fro Christmas from my amazing parents! So I did use that to start the dough. Making pasta isn't difficult. But rolling it out without a machine is a challenge! So here's the *easy* recipe!

In food processor put 1 cup of semolina flour and a dash of salt (around 1/2 a tsp)
Give it a "whirl" to break up any flour lumps and to mix salt etc
Next add 1 beaten egg (normally I use egg beaters however I don't like to change new recipes too much from the start)
Pulse the egg in for a min or so. It's going to look almost like cous cous at this point. But if you were to pinch it together it would stick and make a dough. The idea is to get a ball of dough that sticks together but isn't too dry. Most likely you will have a to add a TBS or 2 (or 3??) of water. At this point I dumped the "cous cous" onto the counter and hand kneaded from here. Make sure you have clean hands and take off your bling if you wish! I added the water as I was kneading since it's easier to feel the texture change than to see it change in the food processor. Once it's a good texture and stays together without crumbling- knead the hell out of it! (for aprox 5-10 mins)
Then the fun part! (NOT!) Get out that rolling pin! Throw a sprinkle of flour onto your (clean!) countertop....Time to roll! And roll...and roll some more. It will feel very tough and almost impossible to roll thing but keep going!! You can do it!! You want it about 1/8 to 1/4 inch thick. When you (finally!!!!) get there... the worst is over!! Dust a little flour on your dough and roll it up into a tube (not tight- this is only to help cutting the dough easier). Move your dough to a cutting board and grab a sharp knife! Make EVEN sized cuts- the size is your choice! You can't go wrong as long as they are all the same size for cooking purposes! After you make a cut- unravel the noodle and view your work! It should unfold like a piece of confetti! After they're all cut- toss a little flour on top to keep them from sticking to each other ad throw them all on a plate or in a bowl. Let them dry an hour or so while you prep the rest of your meal until you're ready to cook them!
When everything else is ready (I'm talking table set and everything...) Boil some water and add a generous amount of sea salt to flavor the water. When it comes to a boil throw your beautiful pasta in (DON'T cover!) and cook for 4-7 mins. Taste after a few mins and pull them out when they reach the texture you are looking for. Quickly drain water...DO NOT RINSE... and plate, sauce and serve!
This should make 3 large servings or 4 small servings.

I will write up the sauce recipe next but 1st I need to catch up on house chores! :0)