First of all, no, I’m not a master of pasta in any sense of the phrase.  I’ve eaten plenty and in the scheme of things, most of it has been poor.  I’ve not visited Italy, but that doesn’t stop me realising the difference between good quality pasta and the stuff I’ve boiled up & thrown in a bowl over the years.  Rubbery, flavorless and less than appealing.  Buying fresh pasta has been a regular choice in recent years since supermarkets have seen the demand for tasty and more authentic pasta.  Given the range available and the convenience, is there reason enough to crack some eggs into a bowl with some flour?  This pasta novice says, “Yes and yes!”

Did someone say rustic?

Having invited my mum round for something to eat last week, I decided to try my hand at some pasta and get her opinion on it.  A gamble, since we were both hungry and I’d never done it before.  I found the kneading to be very satisfying in that I could actually see and feel the change in the dough.  I cut some rather rustic ribbons once I’d rolled out the pasta.  I don’t have a machine so it was time-consuming.  The photos below should give you some idea of how things went.  An incredible sense of pride and achievement flowed through me upon serving a successful plate of homemade pasta in a creamy sauce.  Is that really all there is to it?  Well, no.  There’s endless scope for variation, experimentation and of course the development of pasta making skills beyond a few roughly cut ribbons of hand-rolled dough.

That actually looks the way it should!

With that in mind, I decided to make some pasta that was a little less conventional.  Mushroom and black pudding ravioli.

A light and creamy mushroom sauce was perfect.