So I’m going through a pasta-making craze at the moment. Following an hour and a half “Pasta Master” class, I’ve convinced myself that I’ve a yet undiscovered Italian heritage, hence my natural pasta making talent!

The truth is that,….

although we got married in Italy (the memories!) and I love the country; it’s people; and of course the food, I have no Italian blood whatsoever and making pasta requires absolutely no talent.  You just need a standard pasta machine, some eggs and flour.

Makes 2 adult portion and 4-5 kiddie portions.  Just multiply the ingredients to make more.

The what:

 200g 00 flour and 2 eggs.  Oh, and a little bit of arm muscle.  That’s it: the shortest ingredient list I’ve written!

The how:

Add the flour to a bowl and make a hole in the middle.  Crack the eggs into the hole and beat it using a fork without mixing in the flour at this stage.  Once the egg is lightly beaten combine with the flour.  Next dive in with your hands to bring the pasta dough together into a ball so you can start kneading it. Take the ball out of the bowl and knead it on your counter top. This is where the arm muscle comes in! You really need to work it, folding it over on itself and kneading, kneading, kneading.  It’s actually quite a good workout if, like me, you have post-pregnancy buffalo wing arms 🙂

If the pasta dough is too sticky, sprinkle a little more 00 flour on the counter top.  Once the dough is smooth and shiny wrap it in clingfilm (making sure none is exposed or it will go crusty) and pop it in the fridge for at least 30 minutes.

Next comes the fun bit!

Flatten out the dough a bit and pinch one side so you can ease it into the machine.  Set your machine to the widest setting (normally number 6) and pass the dough through it.  Make sure you catch the dough as it comes through the machine each time so it doesn’t bunch up and stick together. Then fold it in half and pass through again.  Repeat this 4 more times at number 6.  Then set the machine to 5 and pass the dough through it once. No need to fold it in half anymore.  Repeat once at each setting until you have passed it through the last (number 1).  You should have a long thin sheet of pasta.  You can cut it into mini tot-sized shapes or if you have the double cutter for your machine you can also make fettuccini or tagliatelle, although be prepared for the mess little hands make with this type of pasta!  Sprinkle your finished pasta with a good helping of 00 flour to stop it sticking together.

To cook the pasta add it to boiling water and cook for 3-4 minutes.  Once cooked, just add it to the sauce of your choice using a tongs.  Don’t drain it as it will just stick to the sauce and won’t taste as nice.  You can also freeze your freshly made pasta.

Enjoy!