Lydia Infante of Niles shares some of her recipes and Italian sayings such as, "For Italians, pasta

Lydia Infante of Niles shares some of her recipes and Italian sayings such as, "For Italians, pasta is as essential to life as water" and "No man is lonely while eating spaghetti, it requires so much attention."
YELLOW BASIC EGG PASTA
3/4 cup all-purpose flour
1 extra large egg
Place flour in a mound on a pasta board. Make a well in the center and put in the egg. With a fork, beat the egg and begin to incorporate the flour from the inner circle of the well.
When half of the flour has been absorbed, start kneading using the palms of your hands. Knead for about 5 minutes. Let dough rest under a bowl for about 20 minutes. Knead dough again until smooth and silky.
Make a flat circle with dough. Using a long rolling pin begin flattening it out. Place the rolling pin in the center of the dough and as the circle gets larger, wrap the dough around the rolling pin. Gently roll the rolling pin forward then backward. Repeat until dough is stretched to an even thickness of 1/16 inch.
To get a nice round circle, dough should be moved about 1/4 inch at a time.
Let large circle dry for about 15 mintues or longer then roll circle. Using a knife, cut into strips 3/16 inch wide. Separate strips to unroll and freeze or dry.
Note: If pasta is too sticky at the beginning, use more flour. For a serving per person, 1 egg per 3/4 cup flour is plenty.
POTATO GNOCCHI
1 pound of potatoes (baking potatoes are fine)
1 egg
1 cup flour
Salt
Peel and steam potatoes for about 20 minutes. Let cool. Put potatoes through a ricer, do not whip them.
In a bowl, place potatoes and season with salt. Add egg and beat until well incorporated. Add flour a little at a time, working well after each addition.
Turn dough onto a floured board and knead about 3 minutes.
Cut pieces and roll into a rope, then cut rope into pieces about 1-inch long.
Add salt to water and bring to a boil. Drop in a few gnocchi at a time. When they come to the top, remove with a slotted spoon onto serving plate. Serve with Gorgonzola Sauce or favorite sauce.
GORGONZOLA SAUCE
6 ounces Gorgonzola cheese (or bleu cheese), cut into small cubes
10to 12 sprigs fresh thyme, stripped of leaves and finely chopped
3 tablespoons butter
3/4 cup heavy cream
Salt and pepper to taste
In large pan, melt butter and stir in heavy cream. Add cheese, thyme and salt and pepper. Heat gently until cheese is melted. Do not boil. Serve with fresh pasta or gnocchi.
PESTO SAUCE
11/2 cups fresh basil leaves
1 clove garlic
1/4 cup pine nuts (or walnuts)
4 tablespoons grated Parmesan cheese
1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil
Salt and pepper to taste
In a blender, combine all ingredients and process until a thick paste is formed. Serve on pasta. If too thick, dilute with water in which pasta was cooked.