FIONA’S HERBY CANNALONNI
2 cups (300 g) plain flour or OO flour*
good pinch salt
3 large eggs, lightly beaten
30 ml olive oil
extra flour, for dusting
about 1 cup (big handful of flat parsley sprigs, excess stem trimmed and discarded)
Attach mixing bowl and the flat beater to the stand mixer. Place flour, salt, eggs and oil into mixing bowl. Turn mixer to speed 2 and mix until mixture is well combined. Attach the dough hook.
Turn mixture to speed 2 and knead 3-4 minutes or until the dough is smooth. Wrap in plastic wrap and rest it in the refrigerator for 15 minutes.
Meanwhile lay clean tea towels over the bench or lightly dust with extra flour.
Cut dough into 4 even sections, wrap the used sections in a little plastic wrap to prevent drying out.
Take one section of dough and pat out to flatten. Adjust the roller setting to 1 feed the dough into rollers. Fold dough in half and feed through again. Repeat this step twice. Adjusting the rollers to setting, 2 then 3, then 4, 5, 6. You should have a long sheet of dough.
Lay the sheet one of the clean tea towels. Trim the ends if not even and discard.
Lay several springs of your choice parsley, basil, thyme, oregano over the dough (leaving a 1cm boarder around the edge).
Repeat the rolling with another piece of dough. Lay this second sheet over the parsley topped sheet. Firmly press the very edges together with your fingertips.
Adjust the pasta roller to back to setting 1. Lightly flour the roller.
Roll the parsley sheets through the pasta roller, repeat and put through again on setting 2, 3, 4. The rolling is more pressing the two sheets together, more so than rolling the sheet thinner. If the sheet is over rolled the parsley shapes will tear and not look defined.
Remove the parsley pasta sheet and lay on a clean tea towel or lightly dusted bench top. Repeat with the remaining dough and herb of your choice.
Trim the fresh pasta sheets to the size you require for your favourite recipe.
Tips:
These sheets are not suitable to cut into fettuccine / spaghetti or similar because the herbs will tear.
Pasta flour/00 flour is available from supermarkets and specialty stores. Plain flour may also be used.
Combinations of fresh thyme, oregano and parsley leaves can also be used.
Fresh pasta cooks quite quickly, take care not to over cook.
Recipe and photo: Fiona Thomas
