Fresh Pasta

This is my go to never fail recipe to make the lightest, most delicious homemade pasta. Use 100g of flour and one egg per person. This recipe is for six people but adjust it accordingly and to your liking. If you are after a more rich dough, add two egg yolks instead of a whole egg as you wish. I add olive oil instead of water if the dough isn't coming together and I find this gives a smoother, more silky texture. There are a few ways you can make the dough according to your equipment so I will explain each of them. There are also a few ways to roll it so I will take you through these as well. Please remember, there is no secret to kneading! Just bash it, stretch it, reshape it and squash it to develop the gluten in the flour. If this process isn't done, the pasta won't roll properly and will be too soft when cooked.

Ingredients

• 600g tipo 00 flour
• 6 eggs
• Olive oil
• A pinch of salt

Method

1. Food processor- In a food processor, add the flour, eggs and salt. Process until it resembles bread crumbs. Pour onto a floured surface and knead the dough for around ten minutes or until smooth and elastic. Wrap in cling film and leave to rest for at least half an hour.
2. Kitchen Aid- This is my favourite way of making pasta dough as it's by far the easiest. Attach the dough kneading tool to your Kitchen Aid and add the flour, eggs and salt to your bowl. Turn the machine on to level four and knead. If it isn't coming together, slowly add a drizzle of olive oil until it comes together. Let it knead for a further five minutes. Remove from the bowl and knead the dough on a floured surface for a few minutes to test the dough, kneading until smooth and elastic. Wrap in cling film and leave to rest for at least half an hour.
3. By hand- This is the trickiest, longest and messiest but most authentic way to make pasta dough. Pour your flour and salt onto a flat surface or in bowl, whichever way you prefer, and create a well in the centre. Crack the eggs into the well and whisk with a fork until smooth. Incorporate a little bit of the flour at a time whilst whisking the eggs until it becomes too thick. At this point, begin to use your fingers. Bring it all together until you have a large ball of dough, add a little olive to your hands if it is not coming together. Once it has come together, knead for ten minutes on a floured surface until smooth an elastic. Wrap in cling film and leave to rest for at least half an hour.
   
   
   
   
   
4. Pasta Machine- Clamp your machine to a clean work surface, I like to use my dining table for this as it's long and has a lot of space for the pasta sheets. Dust your work surface with flour (Tipo 00), take a lump of pasta dough the size of an apple and press it out flat with your palm. Set the pasta machine at its widest setting and slowly roll the lump of pasta dough through it. Fold this into quarters, pressing firmly, and go through the machine again on the same setting. Repeat this once more. Lightly dust the pasta with flour if it sticks at all. Now work the sheet through all the settings on the machine, from the widest down to around the narrowest. Lightly dust both sides of the pasta with a little flour every time you run it through. I usually stop at level two. If you're just learning, lay a damp tea towel over the pasta sheets until you're ready to shape.
5. By Hand- When it comes to rolling, the main problem you'll have is getting the pasta thin enough to work with. The trick here is to roll lots of smaller pieces at a time, aiming to get the dough as thin as a playing card but not so thin that you can see through it (unless you're making ravioli). It is important to ensure each piece is even in thickness.
   
   
   
   
   
   1. Shaping- A simple shape if you're just starting out is parpadelle or tagliatelle. To do create this rustic shape, ensure your pasta sheets are dusted with flour before rolling it up like rolling a yoga mat. When it is in a tube shape, use a sharp knife to cut your desired width (wider for parpadelle, more narrow for tagliatelle) ensuring each piece is even. When you unroll the sheet, you should have strips of pasta! Coat these in flour, jiggling them in your hands to separate them.