Make pasta...

I love making pasta! If there is no food in the house, I can always find flour, eggs & a bit of patience.

I do favour recipes which are simple but sometimes require patience. There is a huge difference between complicated recipes and ones which just require some peace and quiet and a dose of patience.

If you can bake, you can make pasta, and if you've never tried it, you are missing out!!! Nothing beats fresh pasta, it tastes so completely different to shop bought, even fresh shop bought. The fillings actually taste of something, even spinach & ricotta!

My children have been spoilt being brought up tasting great fresh pasta, so there's a rod for my back!

Making the dough can be messy, but I do cheat!!! shhh... i make the dough in my bread machine, its just a great little machine for mixing without covering the kitchen in flour and my hands in dough. (for those with OCD, like me, you will get that!)

So here it is! and with this batch I will follow on with a classic ravioli recipe tomorrow!

The ratio of eggs to flour is ever so simple, just one whole egg per 100g of flour and then a glug of olive oil.

So I am using:

300g of OO flour

3 whole eggs

2 tablespoons olive oil

Use your bread machine, or a food processor and mix until like breadcrumbs, then turn out and knead until all combined and shiny. If you are using a bread machine, it will knead it for you. Cover with cling film and rest in the fridge for 30mins. You can freeze this for a month too! 30mins gives you time to work on your filling! But if you just want to make tagliatelle, a simple pesto or ragu will feed a hungry family ever so quickly!

For fillings try simple classic combinations:

Ricotta & spinach with some grated nutmeg

Salmon & dill, use an egg yoke to bind it

Prawns with lemon

Crab with cream cheese

Left over bolognese sauce

Roasted vegetables & basil

Wild mushroom & garlic

Peas & mint

Serve with freshly grated parmesan, crusty bread and a glass of something nice! Voila!!

Makes a very impressive dinner party dish, it's always worked for me!