About 500 g or 18 oz strong plain flour plus flour for working
5 medium eggs

Preparation Instructions:

Heap flour on to a flat working surface and make a deep well in the center. Break the eggs into the well. Using a fork, lightly beat the eggs and gradually start incorporating the flour taking it from the inside of the well.

Continue incorporating the flour into the eggs with the fork, taking care not to break the sides of the well or the eggs will escape, until you have a thickish mixture. Continue with your hands, working from the inside outwards until you have a soft dough and all the flour has been incorporated. While working the flour into the egg keep scraping the working surface and rubbing your hands with flour so that all the mixture that has stuck to your hands or the table can be rubbed off and incorporated into the dough. When the dough is ready the table should be clean!

Knead the dough for about 10 minutes, using the heel of your palms and a rhythmic peddling movement to work the dough into a roll, fold in the ends and start again. The finished dough should be smooth and fairly firm to the touch.

Leave the dough to rest for 5 to 6 minutes, covering it with a bowl to prevent the surface from drying out.

Knead the dough once more into a roll and twist it into two equal pieces. Put one piece back under the bowl and knead the other into a ball.

Using a long rolling pin, roll out the dough, sprinkling it with a little flour when necessary to prevent sticking and turning it by rolling it around the rolling pin. Ad the dough increases in diameter, part of the circle should hang over the edge of the working surface nearest to you and you should be rolling away from you, making sure that the edges of the circle are as thin as the center. Keep rolling out until the dough is extremely thin and almost transparent. For the quantities given in this recipe, each rolled out circle should be between 60 to 65 cm / 24 to 26 inches in diameter.

Place a warm tea towel over the circle of dough and roll them together around the rolling pin. Leave for approximately 5 minutes, then unroll the pasta so that it is lying on top of the tea towel. Allow it to stand and finish drying for another 5 to 10 minutes, depending on the heat and humidity of the kitchen and the weather. When ready the pasta should feel dry to the touch.

Roll up th circle of pasta starting from opposite sides of the circle into the center, each 'roll' being about 5 cm / 2 in across. Place the rolls tear the edge of the working surface nearest to you and using a very sharp, heavy chopping knife, cut the pasta into strips measuring from 5 mm to 1 cm / 1/4 to 1/2 in, depending on individual preference. Slide the blade of the knife under the cut pasta up to the halfway point and lift up the knife. The fettuccine will unfold down each side of the blade.Take the fettuccine off the knife by collecting them up with your fingers. Lay them, folded in two, on a large plate. Repeat the rolling and cutting process with the other half of the dough.

Freshly made pasta needs a larger quantity of water than dried pasta. Drop the pasta into the salted water when it is boiling fast. Use two wooden cooking forks to lift and separate the pasta occasionally to prevent it from sticking. When the water comes back to boiling point leave the pasta to cook for a further 2 to 3 minutes, then lift it out of the water using the cooking forks. Drain the pasta well in the colander before putting it in a serving dish and mixing it with the sauce. Never pour the pasta out of the pan directly into the serving dish as it will get so ravelled that it is impossible to serve. Serve immediately with your favourite sauce.

Sauce suggestions: butter, Bolognese, cream sauces.