How to make pasta :
fifty minutes to perfection!

There’s a bit of a myth around how to make pasta. People tend to think of it as some kind of mystical process which only Italian people can have any success at.


In fact, like most good Italian food it’s a very simple recipe and takes only a short time to make. The two resting periods means it will take about fifty minutes in all to prepare - but you can be making the rest of your meal while you leave it to rest.


This is an authentic recipe used by our friends in Le Marche every day.

• It tastes completely different to the dried version.
  
  
• It has no additives or preservatives.
  
  
• Sauces cling to it much more easily.
  
  
• It takes a very short time to make.
  
  
• It takes an even shorter time to cook.
  
  
• It’s really good fun to make it with kids - they love watching the dough stretch!

✮ 300 grammes flour - use 00 type if you can, it’s widely available in supermarkets and makes the best pasta; if not use strong bread flour


✮ 3 medium sized eggs


✮ One half teaspoon salt - as fine as possible


✮ One tablespoon extra virgin olive oil.

✮ Put flour into a large mixing bowl and make a hole in the centre. Italians tend to do this part directly on a board but, until you’re experienced, a bowl is easier.


✮ Put the eggs, salt and oil into the hole - no need to beat the eggs first.


✮ Mix the flour into the liquid hole, starting at the edge of the flour and working inwards. We’ve found this stage works best using the handle of a wooden spoon but our Italian friends use a knife and others use a spoon.


✮ Once everything is mixed in, you should have a crumbly mixture.


✮ Turn this mix out onto a cool surface which has been covered with flour and make sure you keep the working surface and your hands well covered with flour, otherwise the dough will be too sticky.


✮ Start to work the mix together with your hands until it forms a soft dough.


✮ Once the dough has formed a smooth ball use both hands to knead it as though it is bread dough. Keep kneading for about five to eight minutes until it’s really smooth.


✮ Here’s a top tip we picked up when we were being taught how to make pasta : cover the dough with cling film (Saran wrap) and put it into the frige to cool for about twenty minutes at this stage. This makes the pasta much easier to work with.


✮ By now the pasta will be very easy to handle - it’s not delicate so don’t worry about pulling it around a bit!


✮ Using your hands, make the pasta into a rectangle narrow enough to fit through your pasta machine.



You can do this next bit by hand, rolling it out with a rolling pin and cutting it into strips by hand - but it’s really not worth the hassle. Invest in a pasta maker!



✮ Feed the dough through the pasta machine to stretch and thin it. Do this at least twice, making sure as it gets thinner you support it with the back of your hands (fingers may go through the dough). Keep your hands well floured
throughout this process.


✮ Once it’s thin enough, leave it to rest again on your work surface for about twenty minutes.


✮ Feed it through whichever part of the machine you want to use to make the shape of your choice - spaghetti or tagliatelle - or cut it into shapes.


✮ Once done, put it straight into gently boiling water for about ninety seconds. Don't bother adding olive oil to the water - it makes no difference at all to the pasta sticking!


✮ Now add it to the sauce of your choice (always add the pasta to the sauce, never the other way round) and enjoy!







Buon Appetito!




Have a look at our other amazing pasta recipes.




How to make pasta to our home page about Italian culture.