Making Pasta

We used to make all our own pasta - now I think I was mad! I still have the machine. The thing is, once you have put it through the machine four times it has all been evened out and mixed for you, with all that folding. I've made it with normal plain flour and SR flour too, it just needs less time cooking. I was about to offer you my machine but I see you have one. I was sent the wrong ravioli machine so always made ravioli by hand, however I do have a little hand cutter/press thing for shapes that crimps the edges when you fold it over with the filling inside.

I am now coeliac, and your mentioning this has made me think, perhaps I should try mixing a few flours of my own rather than relying on the usual corn pasta available to me.

Most Italians don't set much store by fresh pasta unless they are making a filled pasta like ravioli. I don't think they bother with fancy racks if they are making spaghetti or tagliatelle, you just hang it over a broom stick propped up on two chairs.

It does get better with practice Craftycat One large egg to 100 grammes of plain flour, double zero for preference. If the dough is too wet you can add more flour, if it's too dry a drop of water or olive oil.

TK Max - the things I gave up when we moved here! We have a Spar. Actually have Tesco, Lidl and Asda in the nearest town, which unfortunately is the opposite direction to work.

I've bought lovely Italian dried pasta in TK Maxx.
The recent one was beetroot and spinach.
Quite expensive, about 3 x the price of the standard supermarket variety but as there's only the two of us it won't break the bank.

My next door neighbour is Italian!

She never makes pasta by hand. I used to make the dough in a magimix and it always turned out well. Made a drying rack out of bamboo squeres spelling?

But she makes marvellous gnocchi, mine is a mess.

Each to their own

Nelliemoser it would be nice if I had access to Italian supermarkets. Have great difficulty getting decent pasta and specialist Italian shops don't seem to be into internet shopping.

I could not be bothered to make my own pasta. By the range of types of pasta you seee in Italian supermarkets neither do most italians. The Italian mamas who do this must have time on their hands.

I gave my pasta machine away as I got fed up with spaghetti all over the place. This was 30 years ago and I never saw a drying rack. Tempted to try again.

Read this to D and she's was saying"No, no!" Tell her not to put it in the Kenwood, which I see you have discovered for yourself.

Thank you NannaBanana
It was exhausting- Kenwood did not do the trick for kneading so did it by hand. First batch OK so have just now put 2nd batch in fridge as I had far too much filling. I cooked one to check it was edible & it was very nice. I'll freeze the raviolis I have left over then.
It took me ages to work out how to assemble the drying rack thing & pasta machine .
When they say on Masterchef they are ' just going to make a quick ravioli' they have got to be joking. I bet someone does the kneading for them & assembling the machine. I started at 11.30 & will probably finish about 4.30- mind you a lot of that was waiting while it rested in fridge.
I'll try Tagliatelle next time as I also made far too much sauce- but it will freeze.

I do feel quite noble & it is very satisfying as it is something I have always wanted to try.

Hi CraftyCat!

Do stick with it, it will be worth it. Resting it in the fridge will help with the structure. Making filled pasta is possibly more difficult than say tagliatelle, but so long as you carefully exclude all the air, shouldn't be a problem. Good luck!