Nonna’s homemade fettuccine with pesto
Olivia Morffew
This timeless and vibrant combination is a staple in the Italian diet. With the freshness of the basil, the texture of the pine nuts and the creaminess of the fettuccine, what’s not to love?
Ingredients: pesto
4 tablespoons pine nuts
2-4 garlic cloves, peeled
2 cups of tightly packed basil leaves or 3 cups of loosely packed
4 tablespoons olive oil
8 tablespoons parmesan cheese, grated
Salt and pepper, to taste
Ingredients: pasta
270 grams plain flour
30 grams semolina
3 eggs
pinch of salt
Method: pesto
Wash the basil and dry thoroughly.
Add the basil leaves, pine nuts, garlic cloves, olive oil, parmesan cheese and a pinch of salt and pepper to a food processor and whiz it up until well combined. If it’s looking on the dry side, add a tablespoon of oil at a time until a desired consistency is reached.
Give it a taste, and stir through. Add more salt and pepper, if needed.
Method: pasta
Crack the eggs and whisk in a bowl, then add the flour and semolina. Knead the dough in a bowl for about ten minutes or attach the dough hook to your food processor and knead on medium for five minutes. If the dough is sticking to your fingers, add a pinch of flour.
Rest for the dough for about an hour covered in plastic. While the dough rests, set up your pasta roller machine. If you’re like Nonna and have a manual one, better stretch those muscles because you’re in for your weekly workout. If you’ve got a food processor with a compatible pasta roller, then you should get a similar result but with less pain in your biceps.
Once the pasta has rested, chop into four equal chunks. Dust flour on both sides of one chunk of dough, then gently work the flour into it, shaping the clump of pasta into a neat circle. Repeat for all of the dough chunks.
Set your machine to the lowest setting and feed the first piece of dough through the pasta machine. Repeat this process four times. Then set the machine on the second setting and feed it through, folding it in half when it comes out. Repeat this process four times. Reset the machine to the third setting and feed the dough through. Repeat this process twice. Adjust the machine to the fourth setting and feed the pasta through one more time. If you want thinner pasta, set the machine on the fifth setting and feed it through again.
Once you’ve got your pasta dough, lay it down on a tea towel or tablecloth. Cut it in half, horizontally, so you’ve got two thick slices of pasta dough.
Repeat steps 4 and 5 for all the chunks of dough we turned into rounds.
Now that we’ve got our pasta all ready to slice into fettuccini, dust the top of the dough with a bit of flour so it doesn’t stick when cutting. Prepare a plastic serving tray for putting the fresh fettuccini on by sprinkling it with a bit of semolina.
Before cutting your pasta, fill a large pot over halfway with water and put it on the stove to boil.
To cut the pasta, you can use either your machine attachment or a knife. If using your machine, attach the pasta slicer and feed one strip of pasta dough through the machine at a time, popping the fettuccine onto the prepared tray. If using a knife, slice the pasta into strips and place them on the tray.
Once the water has boiled, add salt and olive oil. Add the pasta and when the water reaches the boil again, stir sparingly. Cook until al dente, about 4 minutes.
Strain, add pesto and voilà. Serve immediately.
NOTES:
The pesto will keep, covered in the fridge, for up to five days.
RECIPE SERVES:
3-4 people