Rustic Farmhouse Pasta.
This simple recipe is perfect for using the seasonal ingredients that are abundant in early Spring.
With the longer daylight hours, our chickens have been laying so many fresh eggs, and chives are
one of the first things to make an appearance in our garden.
Like most of us, as the weather becomes warmer, I start to crave lighter foods this time of year,
getting away from those rich and often heavy comfort foods we seem to gravitate toward in the
winter months.
I know what you’re probably thinking, but pasta isn’t exactly light!… I know! but you just have to
trust me on this one, because this pasta is made fresh, using only a little butter, lemon and herbs,
it doesn’t feel as heavy as a traditional dried pasta with lots of sauce. I think it’s the perfect
transition into Spring.
This pasta is not only cost-effective ( especially if you’re having company), as you will see in the
video, it’s super simple to make. ( even more so if you make the dough ahead of time) The best
part is it sounds waaaay fancier than it actually is, you will definitely impress your guests or family
if you tell them you’ve made pasta from scratch.
Serve with a side salad and you have the perfect Spring meal using seasonal ingredients.
Ingredients:
For the pasta –
4 cups of all-purpose
flour
1 Tbsp of sea salt
6 large eggs.
( This can be halved if
you find it to be too
much pasta. )
For the sauce –
The juice and zest of 1 lemon
1/4 cup of butter
3-4 Tbsp of both – Fresh chives and fresh
Italian flat leaf parsley chopped finely.
Don’t forget to set aside the tops of the
chives to garnish with at the end.
Directions
In a large bowl, add flour and salt. Make a well in the centre and add your eggs. You can do
this more traditionally on your countertop as well, but I find it less messy to just keep it all in a
bowl.
Begin to mix the eggs into the flour until a ball of dough forms. You will eventually switch to
using your hands.
Remove your dough from the bowl and begin to knead it on a floured surface until smooth. ( this
step may take a few minutes ), if it feels too dry you can always add a a small amount of water.
Once your dough is smooth, add it back to the same bowl, but lightly oiled and let it rest at room
temperature for about an hour.
Once rested remove your dough and cut it into more manageable sections.
With a lightly floured rolling pin begin to roll each section until it is as thin as possible. You can
cut your noodles by hand or use a pasta machine if you have one.
Please be sure to flour your noodles between each batch so they don’t clump together. After all your noodles are made, cover with a clean tea towel until you are ready to use them.
You could also hang your pasta to dry and store in an airtight container or freeze your uncooked noodles for later )
To a small saucepan, add your lemon juice, zest, butter and half of your chopped herbs and heat on low until everything has melted.
Bring a large pot of water to a boil, add a good amount of sea salt and cook your fresh pasta until
tender, it usually only takes about 3-4 minutes to cook.
Transfer your cooked pasta to a bowl. Add the warmed sauce and garnish with the remaining
fresh herbs. Don’t forget those beautiful chive flowers for the top.
Serve warm with an optional side salad.
Enjoy!!