I love pasta so I find making homemade pasta both satisfying and enjoyable. Once you have mastered the technique of mixing, kneading, rolling and cutting you can then experiment with a endless list of flavours using your favourite ingredients.

Before you attempt this you are going to need a good pasta machine so take a look at these available for you. But take my advise and go for a good sturdy machine that is built for the job, the imperia range of pasta machines which both colleagues and myself have used too have always risen to the task at hand.

Fresh pasta is easy to make and tastes wonderful! This traditional pasta machine  the imperia pasta machine is chrome plated with adjustable rollers and includes tagliatelle and fettucini cutters.
This Imperia Pasta Machine is the original way of producing fantastic homemade pasta. The machine consists of two rollers that can be gradually adjusted, rolling the pasta into thinner sheets as the handle is turned. Once the correct thickness has been achieved, simply feed the pasta through the spaghetti or tagliatelle cutter and that is it!
The set includes the machine and full instructions. Additional attachments are also available for making a variety of different pasta dishes.  I felt that the this pasta machine was sturdy, and the rollers were consistent which gave great results.

To try out your pasta machine lets make tagliatelle take:

100g semolina, 100g semolina durum wheat, 2 eggs, water(make up to 90g with eggs)

Using a food processer place the semolina & semolina durum wheat into the bowl and placing the processor on a low speed add the eggs & water and process until a dough is formed. After about 2 minutes the dough should be smooth and ready. Make into a ball and covering with a damp cloth allow to rest for about 5  minutes. Divide your dought into two and form two balls which should be flattened, putting your pasta machine on the widest setting roll the dough through the rollers of your machine. Fold over either end into the middle and roll through the pasta machines rollers again repeating this for 3 to 4 times until you have a nice retangular shape to your pasta dough. Change your pasta machine to the next setting and roll again, keep repeating this moving through the settings until you have a long scarf of pasta dough.  Using the tagliatele cutter, cut the pasta dough in your pasta machine. The ready cut tagliatelle piles up under the machine. You can leave your pasta to dry or use immediately. But remember fresh pasta is delicate and only need to boil for 2 minutes to reach ”al dente” stage.

So enjoy your home made pasta I tell you once you have tasted your own fresh pasta you will be hooked on making it.

Tell me which is your favourite pasta? My daughter found out very early on while making pasta for the first time how much room your need to roll out and my kitchen looked like she had had a food fight in it, but the end result was delicious!

Have you ever made your own pasta? Have you got a funny story, tell us all about it?