We have celebrated pasta week in nursery and some of the children have tried making our own pasta in nursery. We have two pasta recipes for you to try at home, one with egg and one without.
BASIC PASTA
300g/101⁄2oz ‘00’ flour (pasta flour), plus extra for dusting
2 tbsp olive oil
3 large free-range eggs
1 tsp fine sea salt
extra virgin olive oil and freshly ground black pepper (optional)
1. Put the flour, olive oil and eggs in a food mixer or food processor and blend until the
ingredients come together and form a dough. Keep mixing for a minute, removing
the lid and turning the dough every 15-20 seconds. This will help make the dough
smoother. Take care to avoid cutting your fingers on the blade if using a food
processor.
2. Alternatively, bring the ingredients together with your hands, working the eggs into
the flour a little at a time.
3. Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface and knead hard for 10 minutes,
really pummelling and stretching the dough until it is silky with a slight sheen.
Wrap in cling film and chill in the fridge for 30 minutes. Line a couple of large trays
with baking parchment and sprinkle with a little sifted flour (these will be used to
lay out the fresh pasta to dry).
4. Take the pasta from the fridge and remove the cling film. Divide into three pieces
and rewrap two of them. Form the remaining pasta into a block and roll out on a
very lightly floured surface as thinly as you can – even thinner than a two pence
piece. You want to end up with a rectangle roughly 48x30cm/19x12in. Turn the
dough regularly and sprinkle with a tiny amount of flour if it begins to stick. Don’t
worry if it isn’t perfect, as long as you can make some good, wide strips, no-one will
notice.
5. Cut the pasta into wide strips – you’ll need to make them roughly 2.5cm/1in wide
and around 30cm/12in long. Arrange the strips on the trays, keeping each strand a
few millimetres from the next. Repeat exactly the same process with the remaining
pasta.
6. The pasta can be left to dry for a few hours at this point or used immediately. If
your trays get too full, cover with another layer of baking parchment and a
sprinkling of flour then create another layer. (You can also hang the pasta on a
broom handle wrapped in cling film and suspended between two chairs.)
7. When you are ready to cook the pasta, half-fill a very large saucepan with cold
water, add the fine sea salt and bring to the boil. Drop the pasta gently into the hot
water and return to the boil, swishing around with a long wooden spoon to
separate the strands.
8. Cook for 2-3 minutes, or until the pasta is tender but firm, stirring occasionally. You
can test the pasta by removing one of the pieces and cutting a little of one end to
taste. (If your pan isn’t large enough for all the pasta, cook in two batches, tossing
the first batch with a little olive oil once it has been drained.)
9. Drain the pasta in a colander and return to the saucepan. Toss with a little olive oil
and seasoning or the pasta sauce of your choice. Tip into a warmed serving dish
and serve immediately.
BASIC PASTA ( NO EGGS)
● 250 g all purpose
● 120 g + 21⁄4 tablespoons water (lukewarm)
● 1⁄4 teaspoon salt
Instructions
1. In a large bowl add the flour, make a well in the middle and add the water and salt,
mix with a fork to combine, then move to a flat surface and gently knead for about
3-5 minutes, form into a compact dough ball, if the dough is too dry then add a
little more water (1 tablespoon at a time).
2. Cover the dough with a tea towel or wrap in plastic wrap and let rest for 30
minutes.
3. Knead the dough a couple of times, then roll it out on a lightly floured flat surface.
Roll to about an 1⁄8 inch thickness, roll up and slice to make fettuccine or thicker or
thinner or even into squares to add to soup. Cook in boiling salted water for about
6-7 minutes. Enjoy!
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