serves
4
prep
30 minutes
cook
10 minutes
difficulty
Mid
serves
4
people
preparation
30
minutes
cooking
10
minutes
difficulty
Mid
level
Ingredients
- 250 g Italian '00’ flour, plus extra for dusting
- 1 egg, plus 3 egg yolks
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- salt
Pesto
- 1 large bunch small-leaved basil (about 50 leaves), plus extra to garnish
- 10–15 g coarse sea salt
- 40 g pine kernels
- 4 garlic cloves, peeled
- 100 ml olive oil
- 80 g parmesan or pecorino, freshly grated
Resting time 15 minutes
Instructions
To make the pasta, place the flour in a bowl or on a work surface, and make a well in the centre. Add the egg, yolks, half the oil and a pinch of salt. Firstly with a fork and then with your hands, gradually mix the flour with the eggs and oil until you obtain a rough paste. If necessary, add a splash of water.
Knead the dough on a lightly floured surface for a few minutes until it is smooth, not sticky. Cover with a cloth and leave to rest for 15–30 minutes.
Divide the dough into quarters. If you have a pasta machine, place the dough through the rollers gradually, starting with the highest setting, until you have silky sheets about 1 mm thick, or less. Cut the sheets of pasta into large squares, about 15 cm x 15 cm, and dust with flour to prevent them sticking together.
To make the pesto, put the basil leaves in a large mortar with the salt, pine kernels and garlic. Grind down with the pestle until it becomes a fine pulp. Start to add the oil and continue grinding until the mixture is smooth. Add the parmesan and mix well.
Place the pasta sheets one by one into a saucepan with plenty of lightly salted boiling water, and add the remaining oil. Cook until al dente, about 3 minutes or so.
Place about 3–4 tbsp pesto in a large pan and warm up gently with the same amount of water from the pasta pan, which will dilute it a bit. Remove the pasta sheets from the water using a perforated scoop, and place them into the sauce.
Add the rest of the sauce, mix well, and serve with a few extra basil leaves to garnish.
Photography by David Loftus
Cook's Notes
Oven temperatures are for conventional; if using fan-forced (convection), reduce the temperature by 20˚C. | We use Australian tablespoons and cups: 1 teaspoon equals 5 ml; 1 tablespoon equals 20 ml; 1 cup equals 250 ml. | All herbs are fresh (unless specified) and cups are lightly packed. | All vegetables are medium size and peeled, unless specified. | All eggs are 55-60 g, unless specified.
