HOMEMADE FRESH NOODLES

The title of this post is my "gentle protest" in the noodle vs. pasta debate. I grew up calling them noodles, but all of the cooking shows call it pasta. Is there a difference? Perhaps the word pasta makes it sound fancier? Oh well, call me old fashioned.

I've been playing around with homemade noodle recipes since I got a little hand crank noodle roller for Christmas. This latest recipe uses all semolina flour and it was SO much easier to work than recipes that use all purpose flour. The back of the semolina flour bag suggested using the full sheets of this dough (uncut) for lasagna (without boiling) which I am looking forward to trying.

Homemade noodles in cheesy fettuccine Alfredo sauce

1½ cups semolina flour
½ teaspoon salt (optional)
2 eggs
2 tablespoons water
2 tablespoons olive oil (I used canola oil)
Combine the semolina flour and salt; add the beaten eggs, water and oil. Mix to make a very stiff dough. Knead for 10 minutes or until dough is elastic (I did this with my stand mixer). Cover with plastic and let the dough rest for 30 minutes (important)..
After 30 minutes of resting, turn the dough out onto a very lightly floured counter. Don't use too much flour on the dough before you put it through the machine, just enough to make it not sticky.

Start with pieces of dough about the size of a golf ball, maybe slightly larger. Flatten it out with your hand and taper one end of the dough so the machine will be able to "catch" the dough easily. Roll the dough through your machine on the lowest number two or three times (it will get longer each time).
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Set your dial to the next lower number and run the dough through again. Do this a couple times. My final machine setting was #3 and it was just right for fettuccine noodles.
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You can air dry these noodles at this point or you can boil it like any other noodle; it takes a lot less time to cook if you don't dry it. Drain and use like you would any other noodle.

NOTE: You certainly do not HAVE to have a machine to roll out this dough. I have made many noodles by rolling out small balls of dough on a floured counter with my rolling pin. Just make sure you roll them out nice and thin then cut with a pizza cutter.