Whip up a delicious pasta storm on a rainy day
Stuck at home on a rainy or cold day, and don't know what to do? Try making pasta; it is the perfect food to make when you've got time to kill.
You'll most likely have all the basic ingredients for the pasta dough in your kitchen cupboards already. All you need is a fair bit of elbow grease to knead the dough, and a bit of patience to turn it into something so yummy you'll start making it even when it's nice out.
Home-made pasta
Basic pasta dough for ravioli
Ingredients
225g strong plain flour
2 large eggs, beaten, plus 1 beaten to seal ravioli
1/4 tsp salt
1 tsp olive oil
2 tsp milk
Method
1 Place the flour and salt on a clean work surface. Using your hands, make a well in the centre. Add the eggs, oil and milk and slowly mix the ingredients together with your hands.
2 Shape the dough into a ball. Add some flour to the work surface and knead the dough for 15-20 minutes or until it is smooth and elastic. Divide it into two equal pieces, wrap each piece in some cling film and allow to rest in the fridge for an hour.
3 Take one piece of dough from the fridge, unwrap and place on a lightly floured work surface. Using a floured rolling pin, roll the dough as thinly as you can -paper-thin if possible.
4 Cut the dough into circles or squares using a ravioli cutter or the top of a glass, or use a knife. Re-form and reroll the dough until you've used up all the scraps.
5 Place a teaspoonful of your chosen filling in the centre of the square or circle. Lightly brush the edges with some beaten egg.
Place another square or circle on top and press the edges together to form a tight seal.
Repeat until you've used up all the circles or squares of dough. You can also make other shapes.
6 To cook: Bring a large saucepan of water to the boil. Place the ravioli in the water. Stir gently with a wooden spoon to prevent them from sticking together.
Allow to simmer for 5-7 minutes. Drain and serve with your favourite sauce.
Nutritional information per 100g: 269kcal, 1138kJ; 12.3g protein, 6.2g fat, 43.8g carbohydrates, 1.8g fibre
Butternut squash and feta cheese filling
Ingredients
300g butternut squash, peeled, deseeded, cut into large chunks
50g feta cheese, crumbled
1/2 tsp dried sage
Salt and black pepper to taste
Method
1 Place the squash in a large saucepan, cover with cold water and bring to the boil. Reduce the heat to low and cook the squash for 12-15 minutes or until soft.
2 Drain the squash, then transfer to a mixing bowl. Add the feta cheese and oregano, then mash the mixture with the back of a fork. Season to taste with salt and freshly ground black pepper.
3 Allow to cool completely before using.
Nutritional information per 100g: 67kcal, 282kJ; 3.2g protein, 3g fat, 7.4g carbohydrates, 1.4g fibre
Mushroom and ricotta filling
Ingredients
1/2 tbsp oil
1/2 small onion, chopped
1 clove garlic, crushed
225g mixed mushrooms, chopped
1 tsp dried oregano
150g ricotta cheese
Salt and black pepper to taste
Method
1 Heat the oil in a non-stick frying pan, add the onion and garlic, and stir-fry over a low to medium heat for 3-4 minutes or until the onions are soft and translucent. Add the mushrooms and oregano and stir-fry over medium heat for 5 minutes or until mushrooms are browned.
2 Remove from heat, add the ricotta cheese, stir to mix thoroughly. Season to taste with salt and pepper.
3 Allow to cool completely before using.
Nutritional information per 100g: 77kcal, 322kJ; 4.6g protein, 5.7g fat, 1.9g carbohydrates, 0.8g fibre
