Make your own Pasta Dish
I made this for my daughter and her friends. The idea is so everyone can join in to roll out the fresh pasta (or buy fresh lasagna sheets), than your guests can make up any pasta dish they like - lasagna, pasta bake, ravioli, stuffed cannelloni, tortillini - or just a mix of anything you fancy - to cook and enjoy your own pasta.
You will need a pasta machine for fresh pasta.
Preparation time: 40 - 60 minutes Quantity: Makes 12 individual dishes Cooking time: 20 - 30 minutes
Ingredients
1 lot Fresh Pasta -
170g / 6 oz strong flour - sieved
2 eggs or 4 yolks - medium - large
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon olive oil
1 lot Bolognese sauce -
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 onions finely chopped
2 cloves crushed garlic
1 lb./ 460g minced beef
1/2 tsp paprika
1 tin plum tomatoes – chopped
1 tin water (filled from above)
2 tablespoons Worcester sauce
2 tablespoons fresh herbs - optional
3 tablespoons tomato puree
salt and pepper
1 lot White sauce -
1 pint milk
2 oz / 60g butter
2 oz / 60g plain flour
tip teaspoon mustard optional
1 clove garlic optional
touch of ground nutmeg optional
1 lot tomato sauce -
1 tin plum tomato
1 tin of water (filled from above)
1 onion - peeled and chopped
1 stick celery - chopped
2 cloves garlic - sliced
2 carrots - peeled and chopped
¼ tub tomato puree (3 tablespoons)
salt and pepper
Grated cheese - 6 oz / 160g / 1/2 block or so
Method
To make the pasta -
- Sift the flour and make a well in the middle
- Crack in the eggs with all else
- Mix by hand to form a slightly sticky dough (if too wet add a little more flour)
- Kneed for a few minutes
- Wrap in cling film and rest in the fridge for 20 minutes or till needed (don’t leave for more than 2 - 3 hours or it turns gray !)
- When needed roll through a pasta machine, firstly two times through the thickest setting then once through the other settings
- Leave flat on a floured table
- Cut to required size
Pre make your Bolognese, up to a day prior to needing it -
- Heat up the oil in a large frying pan
- Fry of the onion, till soft but not browned
- Add the garlic and minced beef
- Cook till browned all over, and separated - sometimes mince can form in to lumps
- Add all else except the puree and allow to simmer stirring occasionally until the mince is tender and the mix reduced and thickened approx. 20 -30 minutes (if the mix dries up too soon add more water)
- Stir in the puree and season to taste
To make the white sauce - (pre make up to a day)
- Add all the ingredients together and whisk or stir till well incorporated
- Simmer stirring occasionally until the mix has thickened approx. 10 - 12 minutes
To make the tomato sauce - (pre make up to 3 days prior)
- In a large pan simmer all the ingredients except the puree for 20 - 30 minutes or until all the ingredients are soft
- Liquidize / blend till smooth
- Stir in the puree and season to taste
Grate the cheese
Now to make - give everyone a individual / small oven proof dish
Cut the pasta to suit the dish
And let everyone get on with it
For a lasagna use white or tomato sauce on the bottom, 3 layers of pasta with 2 layers of Bolognese between the pasta then white sauce on top, with a good sprinkling of grated cheese
Cannelloni is square pieces of pasta stuffed with Bolognese or rolled round to make a tube, cover with white sauce and cheese
Bake for 20 minutes or so