Every time I make home-made pasta, I ask myself why I don’t make it more often. Nothing comes close to the flavor and texture of these fettuccine, made from just two ingredients: flour and eggs.

Granted, it may take a few attempts before you master making the dough, but even if you fail miserably and your dough simply won’t come together, your loss is minimal: a cup of flour and two large eggs (the proportion I typically use following Marcella Hazan’s instructions in her Essentials of Classic Italian Cooking)

But the first time you’re successful, you’ll feel it in your hands after about 8 minutes when the dough is, according to Hazan, as “smooth as baby skin.”

Rolling out and cutting the dough has been made easier with the hand-cranked pasta machine and, if you’re lucky enough to have a KitchenAid stand mixer, their pasta roller/cutter attachment frees up both hands for the process.

My favorite sauce for fresh pasta also comes from Hazan and, like the pasta, it calls for just a few ingredients: tomatoes, butter, onion, and salt. Cook everything over low but steady heat for 45 minutes, taste for salt, and discard the onion.

But fresh pasta is so good, it can be enjoyed simply just with butter and Parmigiano Reggiano.

If you’ve always wanted to make fresh pasta at home but have been afraid to try, my advice to you is: just do it.