Prawn and asparagus fettuccine

2 November 2011
by Phuoc

I’ve always wanted to make pasta from scratch; it’s one of those rewarding and simple pleasures. When you think about it, it’s simply a mixture of flour and eggs, but the versatility of what it can do never seems to fail to amuse me. Thanks to Brad from Kitchenware Direct, I was given a pasta machine to play around with and as you’ll see at the end of the post, one lucky reader would be able to win themselves a Baccarat Pasta Machine as well. The pasta machine was very easy and fun to use, I even got Ant to help me out.

The entire process of pasta making was fairly easy, it’s not rocket science, you just need to work it and show it some love. Initially, it does get a little messy but that’s just half the fun of it. It has been suggested that Tipo “00” flour should be used to make pasta. Basically, Tipo “00” flour is just finely milled flour but it’s not entirely necessary for pasta making; using plain all purpose would do the trick, just make sure you sift it before use.

I loved seeing the dough transform from a rough dough into a smooth and elastic dough after kneading it for some time. Get into it. This is the time to release all of your frustrations out; bash it, stretch it (this is most helpful if you use the bottom of your palm) and squash it. It does good for you and the dough so keep at it.

I remember hearing from a chef a while ago, for one generous serve of pasta the basic recipe is 100g flour and 1 egg. So if you were to make pasta for 3 people, you’d need 300g of flour and 3 eggs etc That’s easy to remember right? However, I followed the pasta dough recipe from one of Jamie Oliver’s cookbook and noticed that the recipe wasn’t quite the same and that it made more than enough for the serving size it suggested (it was 600g flour & 6 eggs for 4 generous servings). The recipe I’ve included in this blog post is the basic recipe of 100g flour and 1 egg per person.

Now here comes the fun part; the rolling and cutting of the pasta. I got all giddy as the pasta dough got longer and thinner as I passed it through each setting and seeing the strands of fettuccine fall from the machine. Ahhhh the simple pleasures.

As it’s (suppose to be) Spring here, I wanted to make a pasta sauce that wasn’t heavy but also very quick to whip up. I thought prawns were easy and quick to cook and as asparagus are in season at the moment, they would match perfectly together.  To keep it simple, the base of the “sauce” was olive oil and the burst of flavours were provided from lemon, chilli, garlic and parsley. I had kind of winged the recipe based from Jamie Oliver’s Cook with Jamie cookbook because I forgot to bookmark the recipe and couldn’t find it when I needed it, but of course found it after I cooked lunch. In hindsight, there was an oomph lacking in the dish, I’d say add more garlic and chillies for that extra kick.

As we were having lunch and enjoyed the fruits of our labour, we both felt a sense of accomplishment knowing we had made everything from scratch.

Now thanks to the lovely people from Kitchenware Direct, this pasta machine is up for grabs for one lucky reader. This competition is open to Australian residents only and ends at 11:59PM (AEST) on the 16th November 2011. All you have to do is tell me what pasta dish you would make for Spring/Summer.

Congrats to Rusty Hoe (LOL!) on winning the prize. That pasta dish sounds great! And it would definitely go down well with a glass (or two) of chilled white wine.

Recipe

Pasta dough

Recipe from Jamie’s Italy by Jamie Oliver

Makes dough for 1 serve

 

100g Tipo ’00’ flour (or all purpose  flour, sifted)

1 large egg or 2 egg yolks (for a more richer and yellow pasta)

 

Making the dough

(NB – If you have a food processor, you can make the dough by combining the flour and eggs until it resembles breadcrumbs. Continue at step 5.)

  1. Place flour on a board or bowl. Make a well in the centre.
  2. Whisk eggs lightly with a fork until combined.
  3. Pour eggs into the well and mix together with flour as much as possible.
  4. Alternatively, combine the flour and egg in a food processor until dough resembles breadcrumbs.
  5. Knead dough until smooth, silky and elastic; about 5 minutes.
  6. Cover dough with clingfilm and leave to rest in fridge for about 30 minutes.

Rolling the dough

(NB – If you don’t have a pasta machine, it’s ok, just roll out the dough (of smaller pieces) at thin as you can with a rolling pin; making sure to lightly flour the working surface, rolling pin and dough.)

(NB – For pastas like fettuccine; tagliatelle or lasagna, roll the dough down to between the thickness of a beer mat and a playing card. For filled pastas such as ravioli or tortellini, roll the dough slightly thinner or to the point where you can clearly see your hand.)

  1. Dust work surface, machine and dough lightly with flour.
  2. Flatten a lump of dough (size of an orange) with your fingertips.
  3. Set the machine at the widest setting, roll the dough through it.
  4. Click the machine down a setting, roll the dough through it again.
  5. Fold the pasta in half, click the setting back to the widest setting and roll dough through it again.
  6. Repeat this process 5 or 6 times. (This works to dough.)
  7. Working through the widest setting to the narrowest, roll the dough through the machine; dust lightly with flour each time you run it through the machine.
  8. To get tidy sheets of pasta, fold the pasta in half length-ways, then half again, then once more until you have a square-ish piece of dough. Turn it 90 degrees (so that the “open” ends are horizontal)  and feed it through the machine at the widest setting.
  9. Shape or cut the dough straight away. (Pasta dries quickly, so don’t leave it more than a minute or two before cutting or shaping. Lay a damp cloth to prevent it from drying)

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Cuting fettuccine

  1. Cut the sheet of pasta into 20cm (8 inch) lengths.
  2. If using the machine, feed it through the fettuccine setting.
  3. If cutting by hand, fold the pasta sheet in half 3 times, dusting with flour each time.
  4. Cut into 1cm (1/2 inch) strips.
  5. Toss the pasta until they separate.

Prawn and asparagus fettuccine

Recipe based from Cook with Jamie by Jamie Oliver

Serves 2

 

200g pasta

250g raw prawns, shelled and de-vined

1/2 bunch asparagus, trimmed and shaved lengthways

1 clove garlic, finely chopped

1 small red chilli, seeded and finely chopped

2 sprigs of parsley, finely chopped

Zest of 1 lemon and juice of half a lemon

50mL olive oil

1 tbsp butter

Salt and pepper, to taste

 

  1. Boil water and add salt to a saucepan.
  2. Heat olive oil and butter in fry pan.
  3. Fry garlic until translucent.
  4. Add prawns, chilli and parsley (reserve some for garnish). Cook for about 4 minutes until cooked throughout.
  5. Place pasta in saucepan and cook for 3 minutes until al dente (if using fresh pasta, otherwise follow instructions on pasta packet).
  6. Drain pasta and reserve some of the water.
  7. Add lemon juice and asparagus to the pan.
  8. Add cooked pasta and toss to combine, adding a little of the water to lighten the sauce. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
  9. Garnish with remaining lemon zest and parsley. Serve.

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34 Comments

  1. Tina @ bitemeshowme

    Looks good Phuoc! Bet the pasta just melted in your mouth huh? that’s the difference between bought and home made! If I had the room in my kitchen I would give the recipe a try.

  2. Rita (mademoiselle délicieuse)

    A labour of love but, yes, seriously rewarding with soft, silky pasta. (Mmmm…beer mat pasta!) And, heheh, love the first photo of the pasta drying on a clothing hanger!

  3. Sara (Belly Rumbles)

    What a perfect clothes hanger to hang pasta on!! Your pasta looks divine, and great flavour combo using asparagus and prawns. You have inspired me to drag out my pasta maker again.

  4. Ramen Raff

    That looks so awesome for a first try. I bet it tastes as awesome as it looks!

    I love making pasta! Such a fun process.

  5. Jacq

    Ooh I’ve always wanted to make handmade pasta and yours looks fab!

  6. Miss Piggy

    Your home made pasta looks really good! I’m going to make your pasta sauce (with store bought pasta I’m afraid) as it seems so simple yet tasty.

  7. nic@diningwithastud

    I do love making pasta from scratch is strangely theraputic in a heart attack kind of way lol. Love the simple sauce 🙂

  8. Phuoc

    Tina: Thanks! It was definitely silkier than store bought. The pasta machine isn’t take up that much space but I guess the rolling out the dough could.. :p

    Rita: Tasty labour of love is always good.

    Sara: I know hey! It doesn’t take up much space and has two uses 🙂 This has got me itching to make more, it’s so rewarding.

    Ramen Raff: Thank you! It is, I don’t know why I haven’t bothered to do it earlier.

    Jacq: Thanks. You should try it, it’s fun!

    Miss Piggy: Awesome! I hope you enjoy it.

    Nic: lol Yeah I found it therapeutic as well when I was kneading the dough

  9. Vivian - vxdollface

    Very fresh & light, great to have during summer! Thanks for the recipe share, looks delish!

  10. Richard Elliot

    Your pasta is looking great! I’ve always struggled to get the gluten development going enough when I knead pasta dough by hand, so I tend to always do it in a food mixer these days.

    The final photo is beautiful. Great styling and lighting.

  11. Adrian (Food Rehab)

    Nothing beats homemade pasta – this looks freakin amazing! Great job! I’m sure the pasta machine will be used often 😉

  12. Phuoc

    Vivian: Thanks! Even if it’s made with store bought pasta, it’ll still be great to whip up.

    Richard: Thanks, I quiet like that last pic too, given the 5 min rush job I did with it 😛 I mixed my dough all by hand so in regards to getting the gluten developed I think you just need to really get in there and mush it all up with the bottom of your palm.

    Adrian: Thanks! I think I will be using it more often. I’ve been converted.

  13. Emma Galloway

    I used to LOVE making fresh pasta before becoming gluten-free. I have a bunch of great gluten-free pasta recipes to try out, just haven’t quite got there yet! (Hint, hint a pasta machine would do wonders in urging me to do so 😉
    I love simple pasta dishes in summer consisting of little more than thinly sliced asparagus or courgette cooked quickly with olive oil, garlic, lemon zest and plenty of fresh chilli, then tossed through spaghetti. Yum.

  14. Ha

    Im reading this with my daughter who is learning to speak ( 22 months). As she saw the pix she said ” pasta pasta prawn prawn ” She loves pasta and seafood. I will be making her lobster pasta in garlic butter for Spring/summer

  15. Hotly Spiced

    Wow! I love the photo of the pasta hanging off the coat hanger. Your end result looks delicious.

  16. milkteaxx

    as a student, pasta is another staple to get me through lonely dinners. since the weather has been so unpredicatable, i love to have pasta with pesto, chicken and alot of chillies, simple and delicious!

  17. matt

    i love ravioli i can have it all year round, my current fav would be the spinach and ricotta in light tomato broth.

  18. amy

    angle hair pasta and lobster are made for each other~ <3

  19. Jan Littlehales

    Fantastic photos Phuoc – I seriously need to update my camera!
    Great to meet you at the Eat Drink Blog Conference on Saturday – especially over dinner 🙂

  20. catty

    Ahhh your homemade pasta looks PERFECT!!! nice one! I made pasta with a friend once and it was really fun, I’d love to make pasta at home 🙂 Now what would I make for spring/summer? I dont know, I’m always into the meaty tomato sauces, which seems more of a winter meal, but honestly, my favourite is arrabiata so I would probably still make that, regardless of season!

  21. Phuoc

    Emma: I hope you do get around to making gluten-free pasta soon too.

    Ha: That’s so sweet! 🙂

    Hotly Spiced: Thanks 🙂

    Milkteaxx: I feel you, pasta is so cheap and so versatile; two selling points for students.

    Matt: Ravioli is something I’d like to try make next, spinach and ricotta sounds like the way to go.

    Amy: Very indulgent 🙂

    Jan: Thank you and nice to meet you too. For your information, don’t think that you need a dSLR to take good pictures because these pictures are not taken with a dSLR. You can take some decent pictures with a P&S as well.

    Catty: Thanks! Making fresh pasta is so much fun. I love arrabiata as well

  22. cubie

    oh..pasta looks refreshing and simple to make 🙂
    But i love pasta in pesto, reminds me of trofie al pesto from Liguria..yumm

  23. Phuoc

    Cubie: Funny that you’ve mentioned that, I just learnt about trofie al pesto over the weekend. Would be great to make 🙂

  24. Martyna @ WholesomeCook

    HAHAHA! That first photo made me laugh – it reminded me of my old flatmate drying pasta on a clothes rack…

    Your fettucine looks perfect and so delicious with the prawns.

  25. maddiee

    wow, this looks so fun!!! I would love to try to make a pesto fettuccine!

  26. Phuoc

    Martyna: Thank you 🙂

    Maddie: Pasta making is great!

  27. kewpie

    i’ve got a soft spot for spaghetti. to me, a bolognese is what i remember my first taste of pasta to be… food memories, as they say… are linked to smells, taste, sound… i can still recall the first time my mummy made me a spag bol! and to me, pasta should be served with a thick tomato sauce! i love spag bol! i think i just decided what i will make for dinner tonite!

  28. thesuzchef

    Your pasta looks fabulous! Looks perfect for spring!
    I hate heavy pastas and lots of sauce, especially creamy ones, so for me, I’d make a perfect spring / summer pasta dish of fettucine with roasted cherry tomatoes, fresh chili, basil, crispy fried bacon bits and splash of olive oil + squeeze of lemon….

  29. Rusty Hoe

    Thanks for the ratio. Makes it much easier to work it out. I love a light pasta of pippies, chilli, garlic, white wine and basil on a hot summers day. With a glass of chilled white wine on the side of course.

  30. Jenny @ Ichigo Shortcake

    Your pasta looks beautiful! Love that last photo, so appetising. 🙂

    For Spring/Summer, obviously the pasta can’t be too rich or heavy (although with Melbourne weather, Spring can feel like Winter so :S) but I would make a smoked salmon pasta salad with avocado and/or baby spinach, cherry tomatoes, a dash of olive oil, squeeze of lemon and topped with cream cheese. This dish would be fantastic if the pasta was made fresh with that pasta machine ;D

  31. Phuoc

    Kewpie: Awww… I love the strong memories you have associated with this dish

    Thesuzchef: Bacon makes everything better.. 🙂

    Rusty Hoe: It definitely does! That ratio is easy to remember, it’s stuck in my head now. Glass of wine seems perfect!

    Jenny: Thank you! That dish sounds delicious!

  32. Hungry (again)

    Hi Phuoc, was introduced to your blog today- loved the review of Bistro Ortolan. The pasta machine would be perfect for flat homemade pappardelle, maybe with peas, lettuce and proscuitto (courtesy of Stephanie Alexander) Buon appetito 🙂

  33. Iron Chef Shellie

    need to get myself a pasta roller. love your pasta airer!! I’ll have to remember I don’t need to go invest in a fancy pants one!

  34. Phuoc

    Hungry: Thanks, I hope you enjoy reading future posts 🙂

    Iron Chef Shellie: Yes, no need for fancy (and expensive) pasta dryers when you can use clothes hangers instead 🙂

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