Beetroot linguine with land cress, lemon and garden herbs

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, beetroot, land cress, lemon, marjoram, parsley, coriander
Recipe source: Melissa
Serves: 8 or 24 tastes

What to do:

To make the pasta:

• Place the large bowl on the scales, reset to zero then measure the flour in to it. Add the beetroot.
• Crack the eggs carefully into the small bowl, discarding any shell, then add them to the flour. Mix thoroughly with the wooden spoon, then 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 has been filled with water and is set on high to boil.
• Wash the land cress in several changes of water and spin dry. Using the scissors, snip the leaves into thin strips and reserve in a big bowl.
• Wash and dry the lemon and zest it. Cut the lemon in half and squeeze its juice into the big bowl too.
• Peel the garlic cloves and squeeze them through the garlic press into the bowl too.
• Wash and spin dry the herbs and strip their leaves, then add them into the rocket bowl.
• Measure 1/3 cup of olive oil into the bowl and sprinkle on a few pinches of flaked salt and toss to incorporate.
• Measure the parmesan and grate what you need and keep separate.
• 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 1 or 2 minutes 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 bowl, sprinkle the parmesan on and toss thoroughly to incorporate.
• Divide into serving bowls, sprinkle the remaining 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.