Fresh Pasta

One of the basics.
It always baffles me that people seem to think making fresh pasta is a hugely challenging exercise. In fact it's probably the easiest dough to make... Ever.
Nigella says it best when she notes that "people fail to make the distinction between difficult and time-consuming... This [making fresh pasta] isn't difficult at all, it just takes a while".
The only rule with making pasta is: 100 grams of flour per egg, and 1 egg equals pasta for 2 people. That's it.
Now you can make the dough using a food processor and it works perfectly fine but I always prefer to make it by hand. Just dump the flour on your work surface, creating a mound. Make a well in the centre, in which you place the egg or eggs. Add a pinch of salt and use your fingers to break up the egg(s) and work them through the flour. It's going to look a horrible shaggy mess for a while, don't despair. Keep kneading and just when you're about to give up it'll start coming together. When you've got a soft ball of dough, cover it with Clingfilm or a tea towel and place in the fridge to rest.
You can use this to make whatever pasta you want, make it as creative and fiddly as you've got patience for. Just remember that it cooks much quicker than dried. If you roll it out and cut it out into tagliatelle or spaghetti it'll take just one or two minutes in boiling salted water.