HOMEMADE PASTA

Pasta, with seemingly endless variations, provides a great accent to a memorable dinner. When you start with a homemade pasta, it takes little else to complete a meal.

1 1/2 cups white flour
1/4 teaspoon salt
4 teaspoons olive oil
2 eggs, beaten
2-4 tablespoons cold water

Combine the flour and salt in the work bowl of a food processor and pulse a couple of times. Add the olive oil and eggs. Process until well blended. With the machine running, add the cold water 1 tablespoon at a time until the dough holds together and forms a ball. Knead in the processor 30 seconds. See Jalapeno Pasta recipe, below, for instructions on rolling out and cooking pasta.
Serves 4-6.

Sesame Pasta: Add 1 tablespoon toasted sesame seeds to the flour. Use 2 teaspoons sesame oil and 2 teaspoons vegetable oil as a substitute for the olive oil. Proceed as above. Sesame pasta nicely complements Marinated Pork Tenderloin or Spicy Teriyaki Chicken.