Abby Jones discovers the joy of making your own tagliatelle
I had always thought pasta should be left to the professionals, but I eat so much of it, I challenged myself to make some from scratch.
I was surprised at how easy it is to make and how delicious it tastes.
Here is a simple recipe for tagliatelle, which you can make without a pasta rolling machine.
200g pasta flour (you can use semolina flour, “00” flour, or all-purpose flour)
2 eggs (if you don’t want to use eggs, swap them out with 100ml water)
Make a volcano shape with your flour, and add the eggs (or water) into a well in the middle
Gently beat in the eggs, slowly integrating flour until it is mostly mixed in
Knead the dough for about five minutes, until it’s nice and bouncy
Roll the dough into a ball and cover with clingfilm, setting aside for at least 30 minutes
Flour a flat surface and roll out your dough with a rolling pin (I split the dough into four sections, as the dough goes a long way)
Roll it, flouring constantly to prevent sticking, until it’s thin enough to see your hand through it
Fold the sheet, as if rolling up a carpet, into loose cylinders
Slice the dough into strips of about 1cm wide
Pull the cut tagliatelle pieces apart so they don’t stick, leave in an airtight box or covered bowl, and repeat with the other dough pieces.
Once all your dough is rolled and cut, you can eat this straight away, dry it or freeze it.
If eating straight away, cook for no more than three minutes in a pan of salted water.
