Pasta!

Firstly, I want to complain that very few supermarkets sell 00 flour! This bothers me – I thought supermarkets underwent a bit of a revolution years ago in response to the never ceasing wave of food cookery programmes, where “quirky” food products like dragon fruit, tahini and lemongrass made their way on to the supermarket shelves. Is 00 flour still considered too niche? With Jamie Oliver’s unceasing commentary that pasta-making is quick, easy and fun, how is it that neither my local Tesco nor Budgens stocks 00 flour? (FYI, Jamie, easy? Yes. Quick? No).

I’m told that 00 flour is best for pasta making because it is made from coarsely ground durum wheat, meaning the pasta holds its shape during cooking and has a rough surface so sauces are more readily absorbed. This is just hearsay of course (though no doubt true), however I used plain flour for my recipe, and you know what – it was delicious. And so, I wanted to share what I think is a very simple but very tasty pasta recipe.

Chilli and garlic prawn ravioli in garlic butter

For the pasta

225g plain flour (or 00 flour if you can find it)

2 medium eggs

2 additional egg yolks

Olive oil

Salt and pepper

For the filling

250g prawns

1 large red chilli (deseeded)

3 gloves of garlic (excessive? Maybe – but I love garlic so..)

2 tablespoons of cream cheese

A couple of knobs of butter

Salt and pepper

Preparing the pasta dough and filling

• Firstly, mix the flour and eggs in a bowl, add salt and pepper to season, and then mix thoroughly into a stiff dough.
• Add a drizzle of olive oil while mixing until a glossy dough ball is formed.
• Knead dough on a lightly floured surface for five minutes.
• Cover in cling film then leave to rest for 30 minutes at room temperature.
• While the dough is resting, finely chop the garlic and chilli. Fry in a pan with butter until cooked through, then leave to cool. Do not discard this pan; it will be used later to add a garlicky/ chilli flavouring to the butter sauce.
• Blend the prawns, cream cheese and chilli and garlic mix until a rough creamy filling is formed.
• Season to taste

Making the ravioli

• Divide the rested pasta dough into two (I find it much easier to manage this way).
• Feed the dough through the pasta machine at its highest setting five times.
• Gradually, feed the pasta one time through each lower setting, until you have the desire thickness. (So, for example, I ran the pasta through my machine at the highest setting, no 7, five times, then on the no 6 setting once, then on the no 5 setting once).
• When at the desired thickness, lay on a lightly floured surface and use a 4” diameter cutter (or a pint glass) to cut out the circles of pasta. Place these on a lightly oiled tray or plate so that they do not stick to the surface.
• Place a teaspoon of the mixture in the centre of each circle, then dab the outside rim with a little egg yolk to help the ravioli to seal. Being careful not to trap any air inside the ravioli’s centre (which would cause them to open during cooking and release all of the delicious juice into the water), seal the two circles together.
• Cook the ravioli in a pan of boiling water for approximately 3 minutes. While the ravioli are cooking, melt some butter in the pan you used to cook the garlic and chilli to add a subtle flavour.
• Serve, eat and bask in the deliciousness! Boom!