| Serves 6-8
This is my basic pasta recipe. The dough can be kept in the fridge in an airtight
container for 2-3 days or frozen for 1 month. Try to find '00' Italian flour
as this will give the best results.
Ingredients
1lb/500g '00' Italian flour or plain flour
5 free range eggs
salt
semolina for sprinkling
Method
1. Put the flour, eggs and a good pinch of salt in a food processor
and mix until it forms a dough.
2. If using plain flour, put the dough in a polythene bag and
refrigerate for at least 30 minutes before rolling out.
3. To shape: cut dough in two and cover one half with a polythene
bag. Roll remaining half out into a rectangle. Roll out until almost
paper thin, sprinkling the surface with semolina if it begins to stick.
Carefully transfer the sheet of pasta to a clean tea-towel, which has
been sprinkled with semolina. Leave to rest for about 1 hour. Do not
allow the pasta to dry out too much. Repeat with the remaining dough.
4. Using a sharp knife or pastry wheel, cut the sheets of pasta
into the required shapes. Spread cut pasta out on to a clean tea-towel.
Use within 24 hours.
5. To cook: bring a large saucepan of salted water to the boil
then add the pasta. Return to the boil and cook for 2-3 minutes. Drain
and serve.
VARIETIES OF FRESH PASTA
By adding extra ingredients, a variety of different flavoured and coloured pasta
can be made.
Spinach
Pasta
Cook 8oz/225g young tender spinach in only the water that clings to the leaves
after washing for 5 minutes, or until tender. Drain well, squeeze out the
water and purée in a food processor. Add to the flour mixture.
Tomato
Pasta
Add 2tbsp sun-dried tomato purée (see recipe below) and 1tbsp
chopped fresh herbs to the flour mixture.
Saffron
Pasta
Add a large pinch of saffron to the flour mixture.
|
