I have absolutely no emotional ties to pasta making, other than I remember making it in school for a Food Technology lesson when I was about 15. That was 18 years ago, so why not pick up from where I left off?
My pasta machine was gifted to me on my birthday, back in December, and I planned to make all the pasta on a week off in January. Through trial and error, I discovered I preferred the Jamie Oliver recipe of 6 eggs to 600 grams of type 00 flour. Food processor at the ready I blitzed the eggs and flour into a dough, so far, so good. There was pasta. Lots and lots of pasta. I had to give some away. I was proud of what I'd made.
Fast-forward one month, and armed with my GCSE-level knowledge and riding high on my previous pasta-making capabilities, I thought I would crack open the pasta machine again, using the same recipe and method as before. This time things were different. My pasta would stick together when stretching and glooped together when feeding through the attachments. This was not the pasta party I had envisioned.
Firstly I made some lasagne sheets, which turned out fine until I left them to dry for too long. I guess they were being buried under mounds of bolognese and cheese sauce, so I wasn't bummed out for long. Next, I moved on to the tagliatelle, which is where it all (literally) fell apart. The dough was already too stretched out, so as I fed it through the attachment, it began to stick together and break away. I was then stressing out trying to pull apart pasta on both sides of the machine.
Where did it all go wrong?
According to Nigella Lawson's website, I didn't let the pasta sit out long enough before rolling. I probably didn't add enough flour before passing it through the machine. I would argue I did both of those things. I am undeterred though and plan to tackle ravioli next, in the hopes that I'll find my pasta-making groove.
Watch this space.
Fast-forward one month, and armed with my GCSE-level knowledge and riding high on my previous pasta-making capabilities, I thought I would crack open the pasta machine again, using the same recipe and method as before. This time things were different. My pasta would stick together when stretching and glooped together when feeding through the attachments. This was not the pasta party I had envisioned.
Firstly I made some lasagne sheets, which turned out fine until I left them to dry for too long. I guess they were being buried under mounds of bolognese and cheese sauce, so I wasn't bummed out for long. Next, I moved on to the tagliatelle, which is where it all (literally) fell apart. The dough was already too stretched out, so as I fed it through the attachment, it began to stick together and break away. I was then stressing out trying to pull apart pasta on both sides of the machine.
Where did it all go wrong?
According to Nigella Lawson's website, I didn't let the pasta sit out long enough before rolling. I probably didn't add enough flour before passing it through the machine. I would argue I did both of those things. I am undeterred though and plan to tackle ravioli next, in the hopes that I'll find my pasta-making groove.
Watch this space.
Lauren, pasta making is always an adventure! If you want a workout as well as a meal, try my Homemade Handmade Pasta. I use a rolling pin instead of a pasta machine and, like with any workout, some days it's harden than others! :D
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