Pasta

I like to make the dough for fresh pasta quite dry because when you rest it, the dough softens a little anyway – if it feels the right texture at first it will be too soft by the time it has rested. This means it can be difficult to mix by hand, so use a food processor if you prefer. You can also use an electric mixer fitted with a dough hook, which is easier than kneading by hand. Some pasta machines also come with a kneading attachment.

A hand-operated pasta machine, available from kitchenware stores, is essential for making good fresh pasta. Some people say you need to pass the dough through the machine many times with lots of folding and turning, but I don’t like to overwork the dough, so I only pass it a few times, reducing the thickness setting a couple of notches each time. For long pasta like tagliatelle I pass the dough a total of four times, while for filled pasta, where you have a double thickness of dough around the edges, a total of six times.