Homemade egg pasta. Pasta all’ uovo. A bite of heaven. Every time. So simple. So delicious. So impressive. And so much fun. Let’s do this!

Ingredients (makes 2 main portions or 4 starter portions):

• 2 whole eggs
• 1 egg yolk
• 200 g of ’00 flour (or all-purpose flour if you can’t find it)
• pinch of salt

Traditional method:

1. Add the flour and salt into a large mixing bowl. Form a well in the middle and add the eggs to it.
2. Beat the eggs together with a fork, then slowly combine with the flour by gradually bringing in flour into the centre to form a dough.
3. Turn onto your counter and knead by hand for a few minutes until you get a smooth ball of dough. Be ready to flex those biceps muscles cause this is quite the workout!
4. Wrap tightly with some plastic film and allow to rest for at least 30 minutes in the fridge.
5. Your pasta is now ready to be rolled and cut into any shape you desire.

Fast method (requires food processor):

1. Add all the ingredients to a food processor.
2. Blitz in pulses until you obtain a breadcrumb-like consistency.
3. Transfer to your worktop, and knead by hand until you have a smooth ball.
4. Wrap tightly with some plastic film and allow to rest in the fridge for at least 30 minutes.
5. Your pasta is now ready to be rolled and cut into any shape you desire.

Notes:

When you’re making the dough, the dough might be a bit too dry or a bit too wet depending on the size of the eggs. If it’s too wet, just add some flour and continue to knead it until it’s no longer sticky. If it’s too dry, keep kneading, don’t give up. If necessary, add a splash of water or olive oil to make it a bit easier.

If you’re making fresh pasta for a larger group, definitely opt for the fast method, otherwise you’ll be kneading for hours! The other option is to rope in some extra hands of course. Always work with small, manageable portions (not more than a dough of 200g of flour)

This is just the basic recipe. You can personalise your pasta in any way you want. Add some beetroot juice to get a vibrant red colour, some cooked (drained) spinach to make your pasta green, or some finely diced chillies/sun-dried tomatoes for more depth of flavour! Or if you want to have fun with the kids, just add a few drops of food colouring to make rainbow pasta! If you are adding wet ingredients , you may need to compensated by adding some extra flour during the kneading process.

When it comes to rolling out your dough, the easiest way is to use a pasta machine. However, if you don’t happen to have one lying around, get out the good old rolling pin, and roll it out to a thickness of about 1-2mm. Be sure to use a generous dusting of semolina or flour to prevent your pasta from sticking.

When it comes to cutting your pasta, you can use a pasta machine to make perfect spaghetti, tagliatelle or pappardelle. Alternatively, you can roll your dusted pasta sheets, simply cut into strips with a knife for a more rustic look. Pasta like this will take 2-3 minutes to cook in boiling salted water. You can also cut your pasta in other shapes or sizes to make farfalle, ravioli or lasagna sheets.