Okay so this is not your weekday cooking…rather a labour of love. Its when cooking takes on a whole other level of artistry. I find its a way of zoning out of everything and to be completely immersed in the art of cooking, very therapeutic!
So after returning from my Italian adventures I was left with that lingering poetic beauty of all things Italian. The turquoise water, the most lemony lemons and and the sheer unadulterated, unashamed love of food.
Once back I was keen to get a little bit of Italy in my kitchen. I had this vision of doing something with Pasta. How could I keep it authentic but get a little more goodness in? So I tried several versions but this version of adding in Buckwheat turned out ‘molto bene’.
I don’t have a pasta maker, but with a little muscle and a lot of love I was shouting out ‘mama mia’ whilst shrugging my shoulders and throwing my hands up in the air!
Buckwheat Pasta
Serves 4-6
3 cups of all-purpose flour
1 cup of buckwheat flour
4 large eggs
1 tablespoon of water
1/2 teaspoon of salt
Combine all of the ingredients in a stand mixer or I used a food processor. The mix should come together, if the mixture is too dry then add another tablespoon of water. The mixture should not be sticky.
Transfer the dough to a lightly floured surface and knead it with your hands until it starts to feel smooth. Allow the dough to rest for 20 – 30 minutes before rolling it out or processing through a pasta machine. When I did this by hand my second batch came out much better as I rolled it thinner. If you keep dusting with flour you can get the pasta pretty thin. For pappardelle, slice the dough using a pizza slicer into about 1cm thick strips.
Add the pasta to boiling water for about 2-5 minutes to cook, the dough can be frozen.
Pesto
50 g pine nuts
50 g grated parmesan
large handful of basiL
150ml olive oil
1 garlic clove
Juice of 1 lime
Gently toast pine nuts in a frying pan on a low heat until golden. Add to a food processor with all the other ingredients and wiz until smooth. Stir in the pesto to the cooked pasta, finish with a sprinkle of parmesan and cracked black pepper.