I tried making tagliatelle and ravioli the first time and it turned out decent. In all honestly it isn't that hard to make fresh pasta! Plus side it hardly takes anytime to boil and it tastes much better than any dried pasta!
The basic recipe for pasta is 1 egg + 100g flour per person. Although I've seen it been done in a food processor, I have it a shot with my hands. Kneading does take a bit of work. If you are completely unfit like me your arms would probably be aching by the time you knead dough for 8 people. If you aren't a replica of the feeble me you'd probably just do fine.
"There's no secret to kneading. You just have to bash the dough about a bit with your hands, squashing it into the table, reshaping it, pulling it, stretching it, squashing it again. It's quite hard work, and after a few minutes it's easy to see why the average Italian grandmother has arms like Frank Bruno!" Jamie Oliver
Once you've created the dough you can either roll it immediately or cover it and put it in the fridge for about half an hour. Letting the dough rest will make it a little bit more easier to work with. I used my dough immediately but didn't have any troubles. To make things a little more easier to handle I worked in small batches.
For second course I made ricotta and walnut ravioli with a spiced pumpkin puree. Its not a looker for sure but bare with me. I promise to get better :)
For the filling I mixed the ricotta with chopped walnuts and basil. I made the terrible mistake of not seasoning so make sure you season to taste! Ricotta is a very mild cheese and it compliments bolder flavors in the dish with its rich creamy texture. I roasted the pumpkin with salt, cumin and pepper, pureed it and spooned it over the silky pasta.
With ravioli, the possibilities of stuffing is really endless! Its so exciting!! If you want something that doesn't take much work try a stuffing of smoked salmon and cream cheese with chives... absolutely lovely!
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