Making pasta from scratch seems complicated and challenging, but I've discovered it's easy - and FUN. Exactly what cooking should be.
Ingredients
| 300 g | Tipo 00 flour (Main) |
| 3 medium | Free-range eggs |
| 1 ½ cups | Ricotta cheese |
| 1 | Lemon |
| 2 handfuls | Spinach |
| 2 Tbsp | Fresh sage |
| 1 knob | Butter |
| 1 pinch | Sea salt |
Directions
- Your first step is creating your super impressive pasta dough. Measure out your flour into a bowl, create a well in the centre and crack your eggs into it. Then, using a fork, wisk the egg into the flour slowly until it starts forming a ball. Once it starts getting mixed together, swap to your hands and keep kneading until all the flour is mixed through and it becomes a consistent colour. I usually take it out of the bowl to knead and throw some flour onto the kitchen bench or a chopping board and knead it this way. I tried the Nigella way of making dough once, where you just dump the flour straight on your bench top and do it without a bowl but IT GOT MESSY and I spent a lot of time cleaning up flour dust. This way is just simpler and there is less mess. Once you've kneaded the dough, form a ball or log and wrap it tightly in glad wrap. Stick it in the fridge for at least 15 minutes but an hour is ideal.
- In the meantime, while you are causally waiting for your super amazing pasta to rest, make the filling and prep the butter sauce. Both are simple and easy. This is one of those recipes where you hear famous chefs say; "let the ingredients speak for themselves! Don't over complicate things!" But whatever, experiment and chuck in mushrooms or truffle oil or whatever you think would be tasty because it's your pasta and no one can boss you around. Take your container of ricotta, put it in a bowl and mix through the rind of one chopped lemon and the chopped up spinach. Add a bit of salt to taste. It should have a fairly dry consistency once mixed. Chop up your sage and get your chunk of butter in a pan and have it ready to go.
- Take your dough out of the fridge and cut it in half. Flatten the one half and dust both sides with flour, as well as the bench top next to your pasta machine. Starting off on the widest setting, roll the pasta dough through the machine. After each pass through the machine, dust it in a bit of flour to keep it dry. If it sticks in the machine and you make a hole in your dough, fold it in half and keep running it through. This will seal off the holes. With stuffed pasta, you want to get it as thin as possible as you are sealing two sheets together so it will actually be double the thickness once completed (try to get to 7 or 8 on the machine). If you have an extra set of hands it will make this process easier as the pasta starts getting longer and longer. Otherwise, arm exercise. Bonus!
- Put your pot of salted water on the stove to boil.
- Make sure the bench is always dusted with flour, and spread your pasta sheet out. Using a teaspoon, put small scoops on the top half of the sheet about 2 inches apart from each other. Dip a pastry brush or your finger in water and lightly run it on all four sides of the sheet around your filling, for each pile. This will help seal the dough. Then, as gently as possible, flip the bottom of the sheet up to line up with the top of the sheet. With your fingers, press down around the pasta, sealing it up. Once they're all sealed, take a knife and cut them out in little rectangles or squares, or however you would like to serve them (ten points for hexagons). Dust a chopping board with flour and arrange the ravioli on it so it's easier when transferring to the pot.
- Heat the pan with your butter on a low/medium heat until it starts to bubble and then add the sage and a pinch of salt. Start popping your pastas into the pot, making sure you don't overcrowd. 2 1/2 minutes, that's all they need. Once time is up, your butter should now be golden brown and you can toss the pasta through the sauce, transfer to a plate and then run additional sauce over top. Season, add parm if you'd like and enjoy!