This recipe is a riff on Mario Batali's standard recipe you can find on the FoodTV web site. I like the slightly rougher texture the semolina adds to the dough, but using 100% all-purpose flour in this recipe works equally well. Batali's recipe calls for 4 extra large eggs; I don't have access to the brontosaurus hens he must, hence the addition of the fifth egg in my version.

I'm not sure what kind of heresy it might be to start a pasta dough in a mixer rather than by hand. I'll risk it.

1. Add the flours to a large mixing bowl and stir to combine.
2. Make a well in the center of the flour. Drop the eggs into the well and use a fork to scramble them.
3. Set the mixer on its lowest speed and use the dough hook to begin incorporating the flour into the eggs.
4. The dough should just begin to come together ("shaggy" is the word often used to describe the consistency at this point). Begin working the dough with your hands until it forms a ball.
5. On a lightly floured work surface, kneed the dough until it becomes smooth. Wrap with plastic wrap and set aside to rest for at least 20 minutes before pasta making.

I've used this dough to make many variations: fettucini (pictured above), linguini, tortellini, and ravioli. It makes enough dough that I typically end up freezing smaller bags of the product (e.g. fettucini) to use in side dishes rather than as an entree portion.