By now you would probably realise that I love pasta, and it is one of my favourite recipes.
The first time I attempted to make home-made pasta, I got the recipe out of an old Men’s Health Magazine. They made it look so simple and after one or two tries, I realised that it is as easy as pie.
Back then I did not own a pasta maker. I made it by hand and my rolling-pin was an empty wine bottle. This would explain why the early day pasta was all wonky and misshaped, especially when I had to finish a bottle of wine to use it as a rolling-pin!
Since then I have invested in a pasta maker and if you can, make sure to get your hands on one as well. “Give a man pasta and he will feed for a day, teach him to make his own pasta and he’ll never get shop bought pasta ever again”
I invited the usual gang to come over for a glass of wine, some DVD’s and pasta.
HOME MADE PASTA (servers 4-5)
You’ll need:
2 cup of flour (you can play around with normal bread flour, semolina etc for different textures).
2 eggs (at room temperature)
And yes… that is all you need to make pasta
Pour out the flour and make a hole in the middle so that it looks like a volcano.
Break in the eggs and slowly beat the eggs with the flour until everything is mixed.
Here is the messy bit, because you will have to get your hands into the mixture and knead the dough for approximately 10 minutes.
If you find your dough to be too soft, add a bit of flour to the mixture.
If it is too dry, wet your hands with water and carry on kneading.
After your 10 minutes of cardio, wrap the ball of dough in cling wrap and place in the fridge and let it rest for 10 minutes.
Take the ball out and roll it out on a floured surface with the “rolling-pin”.
Roll out the pasta a thin as possible.
Dust the sheets of pasta with flour and carefully roll it up, without pressing to hard on it.
With a sharp kitchen knife slice the pasta and unroll it to form thinly shaped tagliatelle.
Hang out the cut pasta to dry for 20 min
** For the time and effort’s sake I have invested in a pasta maker, it is so much easier and quicker.
Roll out the pasta with the machine, and put through the cutter.
Note that when cooking home-made pasta, the cooking 
time is significantly shorter than shop bought pasta. Keep an eye on it, pasta should be cooked through but still al dente. When cooked remove from heat and strain. Pour a bit of olive oil over the pasta (I like to crack over a bit of pepper and salt over the pasta at this time)
Serve with a sauce of your choice.
Creamy tuna sauce:
As always I’m on a budget and decided to make a no mess no fuss sauce.
1 onion chopped
1 green pepper chopped
1 packet of mushrooms sliced
750ml cream
2 tins of tuna in saltwater
Fry the chopped onion and green peppers until soft.
Add the sliced mushrooms and fry with the onion and peppers
Add cream and let it simmer for 15min
Add tuna and mix
Remove from heat and let the sauce thicken.
Mix the sauce and pasta, serve. Viola!
So how did it turn out? looks good!
and how do you feel about the taste and texture of homemade fresh pasta over the stuff you buy at the shop?
Hi Clyde,
I love the texture! It is not as rubbery as shop bought pasta. It is is like homemade pasta holds the sauce better. It taste more natural as well.
There are some supermarkets that do sell the homemade version of pasta but it is very expensive. Consider the fact that it only cost me almost 2 cups of flour and 2 eggs to make enough pasta for 5 people. Yes, it cost me a bit of elbow grease, but that is all the part of the fun! 🙂
Wanted to make my own pasta for yonks, but my other half says its too much work. Will have to make the effort come winter (I dont much like cooking in the summer)
I wont lie, it is a bit of work (made pasta for 7 and a half people). The results are worth it. Home-made pasta is 100 times better than the locally bought stuff.