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Hassle-free pasta dough: No machine needed

(CBS News) In college, I spent a summer abroad in Italy. Best. Decision. Ever.

Some of my finest memories live within those six weeks, traveling in and around Florence, Assisi and Rome.

My favorite place? Capri. I absolutely fell in love with this quaint little island right in Mediterranean Sea - so much so that I often take my mind there when I'm feeling stressed: on a rowboat in the blue grotto with the sound of Italian opera echoing around me. Pure bliss.

Video: Hassle-free homemade pasta

And then there was the food. The best pasta dish I ate in Italy (a big statement, I know) was from a small restaurant in the neighboring town of Anacapri. It was nothing fancy, just linguini with fresh clams, and I cannot even begin to explain how extraordinarily good it was.

So good, in fact, that I had it for dinner every night that weekend. Three days in a row. I couldn't get enough.

It goes to show you what some TLC in a dish can do. Fresh clams, good white wine, garlic and homemade pasta can keep a girl coming back for more...and more, and more.

Now we're making pasta in class, and I love it. Making the dough brings a part of me back to Italy: to cooking in my small apartment in Rome, to Capri, to that dish.

Oh, and the noodles are deliciously addictive, of course. You don't even need a fancy pasta machine, just a rolling pin. Soft, simple dough: yet another example of how simplicity is sometimes best.

Watch the video above to learn a great recipe for pasta dough. Enjoy!

Egg Noodles
Adapted from The International Culinary Center

  • 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
  • 1 egg
  • 1 yolk
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 1/2 tablespoon olive oil

1. Place flour on a work surface and form a well in the center.

2. Add the egg, egg yolk, salt and oil to the well and beat with a fork.

3. Incorporate the flour from the sides of the well into the liquid and work with a fork or fingertips.

4. When the ingredients are well mixed, form the dough into a ball and knead for approximately 10 minutes, or until the dough is smooth, satiny and resilient.

5. Cover and refrigerate. Let rest for 30 minutes to an hour; the longer it rests, the easier it will be to roll out.

6. Cut the dough into three even pieces. Cover the pieces you aren't using with a damp towel or plastic wrap. Roll out very thin (your pasta will thicken as it cooks).

7. Drop into boiling water and cook until just tender (approx. 3 minutes).

NOTE: If you are not cooking your pasta right away, toss with flour, lay flat on a half sheet tray and cover with a damp towel.

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