Making Fresh Pasta At Home

Carbohydrates have become the scourge of American diets, cursing some of the best comfort foods of the ages such as potatoes, pasta, and bread.  But each of these culinary elements is the spice of life.  Who can imagine a pot roast without mashed potatoes, roast chicken without stuffing, and any Italian dish without pasta and Sunday gravy?

I have been making fresh pasta for years, but grudgingly, with hand-kneading of the dough and a simple hand-cranked Atlas pasta machine that must be close to 30 years old at this point.  The heavy manual labor and time involved had put my pasta-making skills on hiatus thanks to kids/life balance.  But some new techniques and some investment in a few tools has made the process infinitely more simple and quick, allowing for same-day turnaround for an excellent product.  And there is nothing wrong with bragging rights for making your own product.