Living Local - Living Yoga Recipe: Our Favorite Simple Homemade Pasta

The Living Local - Yoga Ecology retreat has always been one of our favorites.  To live with intention starts very much with the food we eat.  One staple recipe from this retreat is a homemade pasta that we make with 'Niwas-grown wheat-ground flour, local eggs and oil (we try to procure as-local-as-possible sunflower/safflower oil). 

You can also make this recipe with any local flour or eggs and dress it up in whatever way possible.  In this photo here, we made local pesto (we can provide another recipe for this soon!) and always include as many local veggies as possible.  Here we have local tomatoes, grated zucchini and roasted patty-pan squash.  Divine!

Ingredients:

• About 2 1/2 cups local flour (if you are grinding your own, try to make it as FINE as possible)
• Salt
• 4 eggs
• About 1-2 tablespoons oil

Directions:

1. Place the flour in a large mixing bowl and make a well in the centre.
2. Break the eggs into the well and add the oil as well.
3. With a fork, lightly beat the eggs and oil, gradually mixing them with the flour.
4. When the dough becomes too thick to work with using the fork, continue with your fingertips and then your hands.  You may also need to add a little bit of warm water also.​

5.   Knead the dough on a floured surface for about 10 minutes. The dough will become smooth and elastic. If the dough is sticky, dust it lightly with flour and continue kneading.
6.     Let stand for 30 minutes before rolling. If rolling the dough by hand, use a pasta-specific rolling pin if you can and roll it very thin. Cut in 1 cm strips for fettuccine.​
7.  Try to procure a pasta machine, This helps!  Always follow the machine instructions for rolling and cutting.
8.    To cook pasta, this should be done right before serving, with all the sauce and fix-ins ready and waiting!  Cook in a pot of boiling water (we like to add a bit of salt as well).  Fresh pasta only needs 2-3 minutes generally, as compared to dried packaged pasta which requires close to 10 minutes.  You will know the pasta is ready after it floats, and a taste test of course!