MASTER PASTA

Making fresh pasta looks way more difficult than it is. You’re making a dough, which is not that scary. Use your hands instead of a food processor if you can so you can understand how the dough should feel. Be sure to incorporate the flour completely and knead using the heel of your hand until it is no longer sticky. At the beginning of the kneading process, the dough will appear to tear easily, but once you’ve kneaded it enough (about 10 minutes), it will stretch without tearing as much. Wrap in clingwrap and chill for 30 minutes: if you don’t let it rest it will be difficult to roll out.

Serves 4 to 6

EASY

GREAT VALUE Preparation: 10 minutes Cooking: 1–1½ hours

For the pasta: flour 600 g salt 1t free-range eggs 6 extra virgin olive oil 2 T

For the hazelnut butter sauce: butter 4T lemon 1, juiced hazelnuts 100 g, toasted and roughly chopped

Italian parsley 4 T, roughly chopped Parmesan, finely grated, for serving sea salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste

OR For the speckled bean butter sauce: butter 4T

Woolworths red speckled sugar beans 1 x 400 g can, drained and rinsed Gorgonzola 150 g

Parmesan, finely grated, for serving sea salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste

1 To make the pasta, place the dry ingredients in a bowl and make a well in the centre. Place the eggs and oil in the well and whisk using a fork, slowly incorporating the flour until you have a dough. 2 Knead the dough for 10 minutes, then wrap in clingwrap and chill for 30 minutes. 3 Divide the dough into quarters, then roll into long pasta sheets using a pasta machine. 4 Roll half the dough using the tagliatelle attachment. Using a sharp knife, cut the remaining dough into long, wide strips. Cook in boiling, salted water until al dente. 5 To make the hazelnut butter sauce, heat the butter in a saucepan over a medium heat for 5 minutes or until golden brown, then remove from the heat. Add the lemon juice, nuts, parsley, Parmesan and season to taste. Serve with the tagliatelle. 6 To make the speckled bean butter sauce, heat the butter in a saucepan over a medium heat for 5 minutes or until golden brown. Remove from the heat and add the beans. Serve with the wide pasta strips and Gorgonzola. Dust with Parmesan. MEAT-FREE

WINE: Woolworths Fairview Sauvignon Blanc 2018

A GREAT CURRY PASTE

Readymade curry pastes are a pantry staple but the stash of spices in your cupboard also holds the key to making your own from scratch. The key to mastering Asian dishes lies in the balance of tastes – salty (ingredients like fish sauce and shrimp paste), sour (lemongrass, lime), sweet (coconut cream, coconut chunks, palm sugar) and hot (chilli, obvs). Add this versatile recipe to your arsenal – adapt it for vegetarians – and you’ll never look back.