Recipes from professional Chef Tallyrand:

FRESH PASTA

Kia Ora everyone!

For those of you in the UK that have drunk the brand of orange juice, Kia Ora, I bet you didn't realise that you spoke the native language of New Zealand? "Kia Ora" is a Maori greeting term; much like the English term OK , it is used as a general greeting or as a conformation to something, so has no literal translation as such. Well I am now firmly replanted back in New Zealand and getting used to being back in a tranquil land away from the rat race.

I have received many requests this month via my own website and Hub-UK for recipes or cooking tips for pasta, kicked off by an email from 'Katy' in the UK So this week I am going Italian and explain fresh pasta making.…but wait there is more! Not only do you get recipes for the making of fresh pasta but at no extra cost I am throwing in the complete guide of cooking tips for pasta!

Join me again next week when I will give you a recipe to accompany this fresh pasta; a true bolognaise sauce . . . just like Mamma used to make.

Fresh Pasta

Fresh Pasta is so quick and easy to make and personally I find it very therapeutic; taking out all the daily frustrations while on kneading the dough!! Did you know certain pastas are best served with certain sauces and indeed in Italy certain sauces are only ever served with certain styles of pasta . . . this marrying is considered a great science in Italy! For example, the classic bolognaise sauce is only ever served with fettuccine or other flat noodles and never with spaghetti!

Ingredients for Fresh Pasta

durum wheat or semolina flour	1	kg
eggs	8	pc
egg yolk	2	pc
olive oil		sq

How to make Fresh Pasta

• Sieve the flour and salt onto a bench and make a well in the centre

• Pour the beaten eggs and egg yolk into the well

• Gradually incorporate the flour, adding oil only as needed to adjust the consistency

• Pull and knead the dough until it is smooth and elastic (about 15 minutes)

• Cover the dough with a damp cloth and allow to rest in a cool place for 1 hour

• Roll out very thin and cut or use as required

See this week's cooking tips section for how to best cook pasta

Chef's Tip

Durum wheat or semolina flour is best used for pasta; as it has the highest gluten content of all flours and it is this gluten that holds the pasta together and gives it, its springiness. If you cannot find either try a good bread flour, this will also have a relatively high gluten content

To this basic recipe puréed spinach, tomato paste, squid ink or other flavours / colours may be added

When making noodles: fettuccine etc, after cutting hang them over a clean broom handle or similar (flour it well) to dry out for at least two hours before using.

Enjoy and bon appetit . . . . .

Published 22 January 2001