Petal-Printed Pasta

Contributed by Alan Tardi

Making the pasta sounds like more work than it actually is. You do, however, need a hand-cranked pasta machine.

2 cups all-purpose flour
Pinch of salt
3 large eggs, beaten
1 teaspoon olive oil
1 cup packed small, flat edible flowers, such as pansies and nasturtiums, and flat herbs, such as chives, dill, cilantro, chervil and flat-leaf parsley

In a food processor, pulse the flour and salt. With the machine on, add the eggs and olive oil and process until the dough forms a ball. Transfer the dough to a lightly floured work surface and knead until smooth; the dough should be firm but not dry. Wrap the dough in plastic and set aside for 30 minutes.
Cut the dough into 4 pieces. Working with 1 piece at a time, and keeping the rest covered, run the dough through successively narrower settings on a pasta machine until you reach the thinnest. You should have a 2-foot-long sheet of pasta. Cut the sheet in half crosswise.
Lay 1 sheet of the pasta dough on a lightly floured work surface; cover the other sheet with plastic wrap. Scatter 1/4 cup of the flowers and leaves evenly over the pasta, leaving a 1/4 -inch border. Cover with the second pasta sheet and use a rolling pin to press the 2 sheets together. Roll the sheet through the narrowest setting on the pasta machine one more time. Cut the pasta into 3 even pieces. Set the pasta on a floured baking pan in a single layer and cover with plastic wrap. Repeat with the remaining dough, flowers and herbs.

Make Ahead The pasta sheets can be refrigerated overnight.