Making pasta from scratch is a really rewarding experience, and once you've made your own, dried shop-bought pasta will never be the same again. In our home, pasta is definitely a family thing - my kids love to get involved, especially in the pasta rolling stage! This recipe makes the most of the season's punchy wild garlic by incorporating it into pasta dough. The result is a vibrant and delicious pasta that works well in numerous different dishes. The subtle garlicky taste works well with simple sauces and ingredients - I chose an olive oil-based sauce with chilli, sun-dried tomatoes, pine nuts and kale.
NOTE: other wild greens such as nettles work well in pasta dough - why not experiment with different versions?
WILD GARLIC PASTA RECIPE
Serves 4
Prep time 30 minutes, plus 30 minutes resting time
Cook time 2-3 minutes
INGREDIENTS:
2 large handfuls of wild garlic (selected carefully picking one leaf at a time, to avoid any unsafe imposters)
2 eggs
2 egg yolks
300g 00 pasta flour
METHOD:
1. Carefully wash and check your wild garlic (the prep stage is your opportunity to double check that you've got exactly what you intended in your basket, and keep you and your family safe). Squeeze wild garlic, or spin in a salad spinner to remove excess water. Finely chop the wild garlic.
2. Put the egg, egg yolk and wild garlic in a bullet blender (or food processor) and blend til combined.
3. Put this mixture in a bowl and add the flour. Mix until it all comes together into a rough mixture.
4. Tip out onto a floured surface and knead by hand for at least 10 minutes, until the dough is smooth and stretchy. The dough should go from being quite stiff to being silky and stretchy.
5. Shape into a ball, wrap in film and rest in the fridge for 30 minutes to an hour.
6. Cut into 8 wedges, and either roll by hand and cut into desired shapes, or pass through a pasta machine. With a pasta machine, the trick is to use the machine to roll the dough multiple times at ever decreasing thicknesses, until it is smooth and ready to be cut. At this stage we used the tagliatelle setting to produce silky green ribbons.
7. Plunge into well salted water for 2-3 minutes or until al dente, and serve with your favourite sauce and parmesan shavings. Enjoy!
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