I know it’s easy to open a packet of dried pasta and dump it in a pot of boiling water, but for a little more effort you can make your own pasta…and the results are worth it!

I have the luxury of having a Kitchen Aid stand mixer with a pasta attachment. I knead the dough in the mixer and then with the electric pasta roller I have two hands free to feed and catch the pasta. However, you can easily knead the dough by hand (which I’m sure the purists would recommend) and roll out the dough with a rolling pin. Or, use a combination of both!

The following quantity will feed 2 for a decent sized dinner.

Method

Put the flour and salt in the bowl of the mixer. Make a well and crack both eggs into the well. Start mixing on low speed until all ingredients are combined. You may need to add a little water (just do it little by little, very quickly you can have too much!) if the mixture is too dry.

Increase the speed to medium and knead for a couple of minutes. The dough should be slightly sticky but not stick to your hands. Wrap the dough in cling film and refrigerate for 30 minutes to allow the gluten to relax.

Once rested it’s time to roll out the dough. First step is to laminate the dough. This means the dough needs to be rolled out on the largest setting (1) several times, folding it over each time and feeding it through again until the dough is smooth. Flour the dough as required, but try to avoid over-flouring. Keep feeding the dough through the rollers, decreasing the thickness each time. For pasta I roll down to thickness 4. Cut into strips of your desired width – tonight we’re making pappardelle – nice wide strips.

Cook the pasta in salted boiling water. It should only take a couple of minutes to reach al dente. Add to your favourite pasta sauce…tonight we’re having slow-cooked lamb ragù…deeeeelicious!