Number 11 - Learn how to make pasta in Italy

April 02, 2018

Number 11 - Learn how to make pasta in Italy

Ok so I’m a self confessed carb addict and one of my favourite foods is Pasta! It goes with everything, it’s quick to cook and you can’t really go wrong with it.

During my trip to Italy I’ve tasted some of the best pasta I’ve ever had. Seafood, cheese and pepper, aubergine filled ravioli, burrata cheese with spinach and tomato. But what makes the pasta so delicious is that it’s cooked from scratch! With fresh ingredients and not the dried packet pasta I usually resort to after a long day at work and nothing else in my fridge to eat.

So whilst in Italy I spent the day at a local Tuscan farmhouse with the wonderful Carmella who taught us how to make pasta!

It’s not as difficult as you may think. To make one portion this is what you need

100g zero flour, or fine pastry flour

1 large egg

It’s more about the technique of getting the dough to the right consistency. You slowing add the egg to the floor mixture with a fork until you get a medium sticky dough.

Then it’s about getting down and dirty with your hands. Adding in the remaining flour until you get a springy ball of dough.

Then you roll this out into a rectangular shape (well as rectangle as you can get it to be) and about a millimetre in thickness.

Then you roll the dough into a long kinda flat sausage shape. Then cut down along the line. You can either to wider cuts to make tagliatelle or thinner ones to make more spaghetti noodles.

And that’s it! You’re good to go! Add to boiling water for no more than 4-5 mins.

We also made fresh pesto and Ragu sauce. Here’s the ingredients

Pesto - serves 3-4

One clove or garlic crushed

A handful of pinenuts

20 or so fresh basil leaves

Lots of extra virgin olive oil

Pinch of salt

Mash the whole lot up in a pestle and mortar. You can use a blender but Carmella said that the blades damage the basil leaves and you get extra juices from the ingredients which make it too ‘mushy’ you want the pesto to have some texture and grit.

Tuscan ragu - serves 3-4

One onion

One carrot

One celery stick

Fresh Parsley and basil

Extra virgin olive oil

Beef mince

Passata

Red wine

Salt to taste

Cut all the vegetables and herbs into small pieces. Add to a large saucepan with LOTS of olive oil. Put over a medium heat for 5-10 mins. Add the mince and leave to cook until the juices of the meat start to simmer. Add in a 1/4 bottle of red wine and let simmer for a further 20 mins. Add a bottle of passata and salt for seasoning and leave to cook for a further hour or two.

We also made fresh bruschetta with tomato and basil, roasted pork with sage and rosemary potatoes and Tiramisu!

After all our hard work we then all sat down together like a traditional Italian family to enjoy the food together along with lots of delicious Chianti wine overlooking an amazing view of the Tuscan hillside!