Homemade Pasta
As a Zimbabwean I connect mostly to Italian cuisine because of its simplicity, I find it is very similar to traditional Southern African cuisine. There is no one 'Italian Cuisine ', every Province, town and household has its own distinctive style (that is the case around the world), however, they place great emphasis on fresh, seasonal and locally sourced produce. Having spent a magical summer in Italy, I was exposed to the most exquisite regional Italian food culminating in the epicenter, Bologna. Italy is a melting pot of cultural and culinary diversity. I will be posting some authentic Italian recipes with an African twist and more on why I strongly connect to Italian food.
Homemade pasta is the foundation of most Italian meals. Here is my go-to recipe pasta dough recipe. I use this recipe particularly for meat-based pasta dishes. The semolina adds a bit more 'bite' and has enough depth to stand up to the richness of the meat.
Ingredients
3 cups 00 flour
1 cup semolina
1tbsp salt
6 eggs
2 tbsp olive oil
Method
Combine the flour, semolina and salt in a bowl or clean surface and form a well with it.
Crack the eggs into the centre of the well and whisk using a fork and slowly begin to add flour from the edges.
Bring it all together to form a dough. Knead dough until smooth
Cover with cling film and leave to rest for 30 mins or place in fried to use another day.
On a floured surface roll the dough into a thin transparent blanket.
Roll blanket and cut as desired to make tagliatelle, spaghetti, or use for filled pasta like tortellini.
The beauty of home cooking is that it requires very few gadgets and worth every ounce of effort.
