• pasta made from 200 g (7 oz) flour – see above
• 25 g (1 oz) unsalted butter
• 2 or 3 tablespoons crème fraiche shot of vodka – optional
• pepper
• 2 or 3 ripe tomatoes, peeled, seeded and diced
• 30 g (1 oz) caviar, or more

Divide the pasta into pieces, and roll each through a pasta-roller several times, finally on the thinnest setting. Allow to dry on a clothes rack or tea towels for 20 to 30 minutes before cutting into tagliatelle. Spread them out to dry a little, and then curl them into loose ‘nests’, a few strands at a time.

Cook in boiling, lightly salted water when you are ready. When cooked, drain, and stir in the butter and the sauce, which is no more than this simple mixture – a good spoonful or two of crème fraiche, some vodka, a little pepper and two or three ripe tomatoes, peeled, seeded and diced.

Serve the tagliatelle in heated soup plates, and top each serving with a spoonful of caviar.