Rocket linguine with broad beans, lemon and marjoram

Our Kitchen Garden students love making pasta – and this recipe sings of spring! It includes the dough mixture as well as instructions on how to use a pasta machine.

Fresh from the garden: eggs, rocket, broad beans, lemon, marjoram
Recipe source: Melissa

What to do:

To make the pasta:

• Wash a handful of rocket thoroughly and spin dry. Discard any tough stalks and chop roughly.
• Weigh the flour, then combine it with 1½ teaspoons of salt in the bowl of the food processor. With the motor running, add the eggs and the chopped rocket. Process for a few minutes until the dough clings together and feels quite springy.
• Tip the dough onto a clean, dry workbench. Knead the dough for a few minutes, then wrap it in plastic film and let it rest for 1 hour at room temperature.

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• Fill the large stockpot and the saucepan with water and set to boil on high with the lids on.
• Fix the pasta machine to a suitable bench or table – if the surface is not thick enough you may need to place a thick book under the machine. Screw the clamp very tightly.
• Clear a large space on the workbench alongside the pasta machine. All surfaces must be clean and dry. Press or roll the dough into a rectangle about 8 cm wide.
• Set the rollers on the pasta machine to the widest setting and pass the dough through. The dough will probably look quite ragged at this stage. Fold it in 3, turn it 90 degrees and roll it through again. Go to the next-thickest setting and pass the dough through 3-4 times.
• Continue in this manner (changing the settings and passing the dough through) until the dough has passed through the second thinnest setting. Don’t use the very thinnest setting, as the dough gets too fine and is hard to manage. If the dough gets too long to handle comfortably, cut it into 2-3 pieces using the large knife, and roll each piece separately.
• Lay the pasta strips on a lightly floured surface & dust with a little more flour. Attach the pasta cutter to the machine and pass through the largest rollers, draping it in your hands to catch.
• Carefully separate each strip and hang over a pole to dry.
• Clean the pasta machine by brushing it with a dry, wide pastry brush & putting back in its box.  

To finish the dish:

• Check that the stockpot & saucepan have been filled with water and are set on high to boil.
• Pod the broad beans, discarding the outer shell into the compost and add beans to the boiling water. Fill a large bowl with cold water and have ready.
• Boil the broad beans for 3 minutes, drain and then immediately refresh in the bowl of cold water. Drain again and double-pod by slipping the outer shell off into the compost. Put the beans into the big bowl.
• Wash and dry the lemon and zest it. Cut the lemon in half and squeeze its juice into the beans.
• Peel the garlic cloves and squeeze them into the bowl too.
• Measure the parmesan and grate what you need. Wash and spin dry the marjoram and strip leaves into the garlicky broad beans.
• Wash and spin the remaining rocket dry and add that to the bowl.
• Measure 1/3 cup of olive oil into the bowl and sprinkle on a few pinches of flaked salt and a good grind of pepper and toss to incorporate.
• When the stockpot has started a fast boil, gather your drying pasta on a large baking tray. Add  a tablespoon of cooking salt and then the pasta to the pot, stir once and quickly put the lid back on.
• As soon as the pot begins to boil again, take the lid off. The pasta should only take 2 minutes or so to cook from boiling. Taste to check – it’s important that the pasta remains al dente and is not overcooked!
• Using tongs, carefully pull the pasta (and some of its cooking liquid) out and into the big lemony rocket bowl and toss to thoroughly incorporate.
• Divide into serving bowls, sprinkle the parmesan on and eat immediately!

Notes: Never wash the pasta machine – it will rust! Just brush down with a strong brush to remove the leftover dough.