Mastering the art of homemade pasta…
Private chef and Brown Goose caterer, Rob Scott, loves to create Italian-inspired dishes for his seasonal menus. With so many questions surrounding the world of pasta making, we asked Rob about the basics for achieving perfect pasta at home.
“Making pasta at home can seem like one of the most daunting tasks for a home chef. However, it doesn’t need to be and can open a whole new culinary avenue. The main thing is to do everything in stages and separate those stages out. Don’t try and do everything at once. If you are planning on doing a pasta dish, then make sure you plan ahead.
Buying a pasta rolling machine is an essential part as well. It allows you to roll out pasta to a thickness that is useable. Using a strong flour is also important. Typically, use an Italian flour that has been graded 00. However, you can use extra strong bread flour, which is sold in major supermarkets. The essential thing with the flour used in pasta is that it has a high gluten content. The gluten allows for the dough to withstand the pressure of being cooked in the water.
Make the dough first using a mixer. Place in flour and add eggs, oil and salt. Slowly add the water until the dough comes together. Remove and place on a clean worktop. Continue to knead by hand adding water gradually. Ideally, the dough should be neither crumbly (not enough water) nor sticky (too much water). Unlike many flour-based recipes that require kneading, you cannot overwork pasta dough.”
You will need…
- 500g 00 flour
- 4 egg yolks
- 1 whole egg
- 2 tsp extra virgin olive oil
- 1 tsp salt
- Water, approx. 4–6 tbsp
Top tips to perfect pasta…
- Wrap the pasta in cling film and leave overnight in the fridge. Remove from the fridge about 30 mins before using.
- Adding extra flavours and colouring to the pasta is easily achievable. Replacing olive oil with truffle oil gives a nice earthiness to the pasta. Or soaking some saffron in the water can make your pasta extra yellow.
- For a fish- or shellfish-based pasta dish, squid ink is great for creating black pasta. Once you master the basics of pasta making, the ingredient cupboard is your oyster.
Rob Scott’s favourite ravioli fillings:
Smoked Chicken & Tarragon – pairs nicely with a Jerusalem artichoke soup or sauce.
Roasted Butternut Squash & Ricotta – make sure to get a good roasting colour on the butternut as it adds to the flavour and pair with a citrus-based sauce.
Wild Mushroom – we do this a lot and serve with a cèpe and parsnip velouté. Adding truffle oil to the pasta dough adds a nice little touch.
Portland Crab & Chilli – use the freshest white crab meat you can find. Keep it simple with crab, shallots, chives, lemon juice and a small amount of ricotta to bind.
Braised Beef Cheek – a real winter favourite of mine. Shred the meat from the bone and mix with lots of parsley and shallots. It makes a wonderful filling to warm you up.