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Angela Hartnett’s perfect pasta
Michelin-starred chef Angela Hartnett is proud of her Italian heritage. ‘It was my grandmother who taught me how to make pasta,’ she says. Angela has written two best-selling books and is chef patron of top London restaurant Murano. Here she shares her recipe for home-made pasta. Just follow these simple steps...
- Mix flour and salt together and tip on to a work surface or board. Make a well in the centre. Mix together the eggs and oil and pour two thirds into the well, reserving the rest.
- Starting from the outside, work the flour into the liquid until dough forms. You may need to add the remaining egg mixture if the dough doesn’t come together.
- Knead until it is smooth, firm and elastic (this will take 5–10 minutes). Wrap in clingfilm and rest in the fridge for 1 hour before using. The dough will keep for up to 24 hours in the fridge if well wrapped
- Cut the dough into 3–4 pieces and use a rolling pin or your palm to flatten a piece to the width of your pasta machine. Make sure your pasta machine is on its widest setting and run each piece of dough through it twice.
- Reduce the setting by one notch and run through twice again. If the dough feels a bit sticky, add a little flour – not too much, as this will dry it out. Run through the machine twice on each notch until you get to the second-narrowest notch.
- Your sheet should be about 30cm in length. To cut into tagliatelle, use attachment that comes with machine. Sprinkle dough with a little flour before running it through. Divide into nests and dry for 20 minutes.
Cooking your pasta… Angela’s top tips
- All pasta must be covered with water
- Stir the pasta when it first goes into the water and then leave alone
- Always cook it to the point where it becomes al dente
Pasta dough
Serves 4
400g flour. Angela uses ‘00’ pasta flour, but you can use strong white bread
flour instead
½ tsp salt n 4 eggs (free-range give a good colour)
1 tbsp olive oil approx
Angela says...
If you don’t have a pasta machine, roll by hand. Cut the dough in half and roll it half at a time on a lightly floured board until it’s as thin as you want it. This is quite difficult because the dough is so stiff, but it is possible. Trim to the size you want.
For some great Italian recipes why not visit our Food recipes section