Homemade Pasta

Mixing. Pile flour onto a clean benchtop, then make a well in the centre. Crack eggs into the well. Add a pinch of salt. Lightly mix together with a fork. Add oil, then, using your fingertips, gradually combine with the flour mixture. It will still be in rough pieces at this stage. Press the pieces of dough until it comes together and is smooth. You can also follow this step using a food processor.

Kneading. Knead the dough on a lightly floured benchtop for 10 minutes to develop the gluten. Push the dough away from you with the heel of your hand, then fold it back on to itself and repeat. The dough will slowly become smooth and silky.

Resting. Now take a break! Divide the dough into two portions and cover both in plastic wrap. Rest the dough in the fridge for 30 minutes. Clean the benchtop, so it’s ready for rolling.

Rolling. The easiest way is to use a pasta rolling machine, but the dough can also be rolled out by hand. It is much easier to hand-roll smaller portions of dough. Keep the remainder wrapped tightly in plastic. Dust the benchtop with extra flour. Roll out the dough to a long rectangular shape (rather than a round like you would for pastry). For a great result, fold and roll three to four times to laminate the dough – this replicates the way pasta is fed through a rolling machine.

Cutting. Roll out dough in a long rectangle to your desired thickness. Cut it in long strips or roll up and slice, then unroll the strips. Pasta can be left for 20 minutes to dry slightly before cooking. This helps the pasta keep its shape and prevents it from sticking together while it cooks. Flavour Variations: 1. Saffron. Increase flour by 2-3tbs. Soak 1 tsp saffron thread in 2 tbs boiling water. Add with the eggs.

Spinach. Squeeze excess liquid from 3/4 cup cooked chopped spinach and add to the flour. You may need to increase the flour by 1-2 tbs to balance the extra moisture.

Tomato. Add 2 tbs tomato paste with the eggs and add a little extra flour.

Herb. Add 1/4 cup chopped herbs to the flour with the eggs. Alternatively, lay flat-parsley leaves onto the dough. Fold over and roll so the parsley is inside the dough. Shape Variations:

Spaghetti. Cut the rolled dough into strips - thin or wide. You can also roll up the dough and slice, then shake out the strips.

Farfalle (bows). Cut the rolled dough into 4x5cm pieces, then pinch the centre together until it sticks to form the bows.

Orecchiette. To make these little 'ears', cut small pieces from your pasta, then shape by dragging a rounded knife across the pieces so they curl. Cooking: Bring a large saucepan of salted water to the boil. Allow 1 litre water per 100g pasta. Drop pasta into water. Stir so it doesn't sink and stick to the bottom of the pan. Cook, uncovered, for 3-5 minutes, depending on how thinly you rolled the pasta. Test for doneness. It should be al dente, with a little resistance when you bite into it. Drain. Heat through some quick tomato sauce and serve immediately with the pasta and topped with shaved parmesan, fresh basil and freshly ground black pepper.