I knew it was pasta I would cook. It's what I love! Not a week goes by when I don't cook pasta at home - from scratch - for other pasta lovers. It's so much fun to get the kitchen dirty; to roll up your sleeves and dust flour everywhere.
On the morning I was surprised how passive the students were. Didn't ask questions and some, to my surprise, didn't seem to show any interest whatsoever. There were a few though that watched with keen intent and were keen to try the end-product. When my colleague asked me to write down my recipes - because some students had asked for them - I was somewhat surprised. But there you go! Here's my recipe:
Classic Pasta
- 300 g of OO' flour
- 300 of fine semolina
- 3 whole (free range organic) eggs
- 5 (free range organic) egg yolks
- salt
I like to use a mixer with a good dough hook, or a trusty bread oven, but you can make this by hand. If you do, bare in mind that it's hard work! Combine the flour and semolina with the salt, eggs and egg yolks. In the mixer, bread oven or by hand, kneed the dough until it's well combined and you get a silk-like texture [usually between 6-8 minutes]. Cover in cling film and put in the fridge for at least one hour.
Take it out and roll it as flat as you can with a rolling pin. If you have a pasta maker, roll it through several times until you get your desired thickness. Cut it into thick strips (parpadelle), finer strips (fettuccine) or use the attachment to make spaghetti. Cook almost immediately or freeze for another day.
Classic Pesto:
- 1 large bunch of basil
- 200 g of Parmesan cheese (freshly grated)
- 50g of pine nuts
- 2 cups of rocket lettuce
- 150 mL of olive oil (extra virgin)
- 50 grams of pitted black olives
- 1 tsp of rock salt
Combine all the ingredients (except for the olive oil) in a food processor and use the pulse functions until you get a rough, rustic texture. Remove mixture to a mixing bowl and add the olive oil. Stir well and add salt [and pepper to taste].
