Beetroot pasta

This is the basic recipe for the pasta dough mixture as well as instructions on how to use a pasta machine.

 Serves: 6 at home or 12 substantial 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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• 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 for linguine or the thinnest rollers for angelhair pasta, 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 cook the pasta:

• 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!

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