Homemade (Eggless) Pasta
Serves 4
If you’re looking for a simple, vegan, pasta recipe, look no further. After about 10 minutes of hard work kneading you will have a pliable dough ready to turn into the pasta of your choice.
I use this dough to make cavatelli, a small shell shaped pasta made without a machine. It might be rustic in appearance but it holds pasta sauces beautifully.
- Ingredients:
- 200g Italian 00 pasta flour
- 100ml cold water
- Plus extra flour for dusting
Step 1: Combine the flour and water in a bowl or on a clean work surface (if doing this on a work surface you will need to make a mound of flour and then create a well in the centre to pour the water into). Use your hand to bring the mixture together and then start to knead it. This is tough and will take about 10 minutes. By which point you should have a smooth dough.
Step 2: Wrap the ball of dough in clingfilm of grease proof paper and leave it in the fridge for half an hour to rest.
Step 3: Once the dough is rested, divide in to quarters and roll each into a long thin sausage shape. Use a knife to cut the sausage into pieces about 8 mm long. Each piece will become a piece of pasta. You need to roll and press each piece with your thumb so that it both flatten and curls (don’t worry if this takes a bit of practise to get right). I use a ridged wooden pasta board to do this as it creates the ridges on the pasta to help the sauce to cling to it. You could just do it on the work surface, but the result will be a smoother pasta shape. Transfer each piece of shaped pasta onto a lightly floured tray and move about so that it gets a light dusting and this will stop them from sticking to each other.
Step 4: Allow to dry out for an hour or two (or you could leave them to dry out completely and then store in an airtight container for a few weeks). When you are ready to cook them, bring a large pan of salted water the the boil and then add the pasta and cook for a few minutes until cooked through (if cooking from completely dried they will take a couple of minutes longer).
Serve with your chosen sauce.
