How to make pasta from scratch
Making your own pasta is an easy and extremely rewarding process! Get your guests and family involved in the whole affair for a fun and interactive evening of good food.

How to make pasta from scratch

PREPARING THE DOUGH

YOU WILL NEED:
500g “00” flour
A pinch of fine salt
5 organic eggs

Simply sieve the flour onto a cool work surface or into a mixing bowl, add a pinch of salt and make a well in the centre. Crack the eggs into the middle, break them up with a fork or your fingertips and begin to incorporate the flour. Once it comes together to form a ball, knead the dough until smooth, elastic and glossy (this should take about 10 minutes). If you feel that the dough is too sticky, simply add some more flour and if you feel it is too dry add another egg, a little water or olive oil. Wrap the dough up in cling film and place it in the fridge to rest.

Serves 4-6.

Notes: “00” is a very finely milled speciality flour used to make authentic Italian pasta and pizza. You can also use regular flour. Use the freshest, best quality eggs you can find for the best colour and flavour. For a more yellow pasta dough, add 2 more egg yolks.

ROLLING OUT THE DOUGH

Remove the dough from the fridge and divide into 4 balls. Flatten each slightly with the ball of your hand before feeding it through your pasta machine. Start to roll out the pasta dough on the thickest setting. After each roll, fold the pasta in two and put it through the machine again before going onto your next setting. If you find the pasta is starting to stick to your machine then lightly dust with some more flour. Repeat this process, going further down the machine settings until the pasta is about 1.5mm thick. If you find that the dough becomes too long to work with, simply cut it in half or ask a friend or family member to help!

SHAPING PASTA

At this stage the sheets are ready to make lasagne, ravioli or tortellini. Alternatively, you may choose one of the pasta machine attachments to make spaghetti, linguini, fettuccini or tagliatelle. For pappardelle (thick-cut pasta), simply fold a well-floured sheet of pasta repeatedly in half until you have a folded “square”. Place the square so that the folded sides are at the top and the bottom. Using a floured knife, swiftly slice across in 2-3cm strips. Separate the strips immediately – they should unravel fairly easily into elegant noodles.

Fresh pasta can be kept in the fridge for 2 days. You can also freeze balls of pasta dough that are wrapped in cling film for 1 month.

COOKING PASTA

Bring a large pot of salted water to a rolling boil. Rather have too much rather than too little water as the pasta must be able to move around freely. I add a splash of olive oil to the water, but the jury’s still out on that one! Once you’ve added your pasta, bring the water back to a boil as soon as possible and stir to ensure that the pasta is all submerged and does not stick together or to the bottom of the pot. Do not cover the pot with a lid!

Fresh pasta has a much shorter cooking time than dried pasta, about 2-3 minutes. Pasta should be cooked al dente, which means it should be soft on the outside but still have a tiny bite on the inside, so keep checking! Drain in a colander and serve.

Tip: Pasta should always be served hot so remember to heat up your bowls or serving platter beforehand.

A SHAPE FOR EVERY SAUCE

long flat pasta shapes
Pappardelle, Tagliatelle, Fettuccine or Linguine are perfectly suited to carry more robust, hearty sauces like a rich tomato-based sauce with pancetta, a creamy mushroom or seafood sauce or rich meaty sauces.
Try this: Braised lamb shank with homemade pappardelle or Tagliatelle marinara

elegant long round thin pasta
Spaghettini or Angel Hair are better suited to lighter sauces that match the pasta’s delicacy, for example a simple tomato and basil sauce, a creamy herb and seafood sauce or a light oil-based sauce.

round long thicker shapes
Spaghetti, Spaghettini or Bucatini can handle just about any sauce, especially meaty sauces like Bolognaise, stronger tomato sauces like Arrabiata or Putanesca or richer sauces like Carbonara.
Try this: Spaghetti with bacon, chilli & pangrattato

tubular shapes
Penne, Rigatoni or Macaroni with their large, often ridged, surface areas, hold the maximum amount of sauce, inside and out, for every bite! Ideally suited to full-flavoured, chunkier meat and vegetable sauces as well as rich oven-baked cheesy sauces.
Try this: Macaroni and cheese

elegant shapes
Farfalle, Pipette, Gemelli, Rotini or Fusilli can carry light, silky sauces with seafood or vegetable sauces and are visually perfect for salads!
Try this: Quick tomato, mozzarella & basil gemelli

YOU MAY ALSO LIKE

Newsletter

Never miss another recipe!

Once a week we send out an entirely delicious, but slightly unusual FREE Recipe Mailer. In a world of bland corporate mailers, SUBSCRIBE to ensure you don’t miss out on one of the more peculiar mailers you will receive this week…

There are no reviews yet. Be the first one to write one.

Newsletter

Never miss another recipe!

Once a week we send out an entirely delicious, but slightly unusual FREE Recipe Mailer. In a world of bland corporate mailers, SUBSCRIBE to ensure you don’t miss out on one of the more peculiar mailers you will receive this week…

Join our weekly newsletter

Never miss another recipe!

Once a week we send out an entirely delicious, but slightly unusual FREE Recipe Mailer. In a world of bland corporate mailers, SUBSCRIBE to ensure you don’t miss out on one of the more peculiar mailers you will receive this week…

WHAT'S COOKING?

How can we (ahem) serve you today?

Looking for information on a specific product, or simply want to get in touch? Please complete the form below, and we’ll get back to you as soon as possible.

Index

Top Tips