A step by step-by-step guide

To make fresh pasta or to give it a miss?

SERVES: 4
PREP TIME: 15 mins
COOKING TIME: 35 mins (includes 30 mins dough resting)
DIFFICULTY: easy
IDEAL FOR: any occasion!
BUDGET: £

That’s the question.

Look, I’m not one for a lot of fuss when it comes to cooking.

I like simple, yet tasty, dishes that require as little effort as possible but with the greatest result.

Think chicken curry, stuffed red pepper soup, slow-cooked brisket…

And pasta.

But usually dried pasta or the fresh pasta you can buy in a supermarket.

Italian nonnas and die-hard foodies

I always thought making pastas was for the true Italian’s or skilled chefs.

However, since being in ‘lockdown’ #globalpandemic, I decided to dust of my pasta machine and give it a go.

We’ve all got a pasta machine somewhere lurking in the cupboard.

Given as a gift or bought in a moment of ‘chefiness’.

But it turns out, making pasta is super simple and really rather satisfying.

Three key ingredients

Flour, eggs and salt

And sometimes olive oil (which I used in this recipe).

With the ingredients ratio, it’s usually around one egg to every 100g of flour

Ingredients

• 500g of pasta flour
• 1 pinch of salt
• 6 egg yolks, lightly beaten
• 4 eggs, lightly beaten
• 25ml of olive oil

TIP: add a 1/2 teaspoon of turmeric to give it a nice colour

• STEP 1: Sieve the flour and salt onto a large, clean work surface and create a mound with a well in the middle
• STEP 2: Pour in the eggs. Mix slowly (with clean hands) to create a dough
  • Note: Step 1 & 2 can be done in a food processor and pulse until a crumbly texture, then move to Step 3
• STEP 3: Knead for 5–10 minutes until it becomes smooth and elastic then form into a ball, wrap tightly in cling film and rest in the fridge for approx. 30 mins (or longer)
  • Note: instead of hand kneading, you can transfer the dough into a mixer with a dough hook and knead with that (I do this step instead of hand kneading)
• STEP 4: Unwrap the dough and cut it into smaller portions (so it’s easier to work with) then dust with flour when you work with it
• STEP 5: Take a piece and flatten it between your hands until it’s the thickness of a pound coin and the width of the machine or a bit less
  • Feed it through a pasta machine on the widest setting.
  • Fold the dough in half and pass it through the machine again until the dough is smooth.
• STEP 6: Now, gradually decrease the setting on the pasta machine, rolling the dough on each setting.
  • You want it thin but not so thin you can see through it (this can take a little practise)

How to cook fresh pasta

• Boil a large saucepan of salted water.
• Add the pasta and boil for 3 – 6 minutes until the pasta starts to float to the top.
• Drain and serve.