Fresh Pasta

Making fresh pasta is easy if you have a pasta machine – you just need to follow the steps of passing the dough through the machine on various settings to stretch it, then folding and passing it through again until you achieve the silky texture that makes this type of pasta so special. Different brands of machines use different numbering systems: some start at 10 for the widest setting and work down; others start at 0 and work up. These recipes can be successfully halved, but don’t try making less than 300 g of pasta dough. Fresh pasta can always be frozen: dust with flour, spread it out on a tray and put the tray in the freezer for 6–8 hours, or overnight, until frozen. Remove the pasta and place in a freezer bag, extracting as much air as possible, then tie tightly and freeze for up to 6 months.