Tagliatelle Napoletana (Music Linguae)

Italian traditional handmade fresh pasta has been a staple food for Italian families for many decades. Very simple to make but very tasty and nutritious.

Pasta

Ingredients

The only ingredients you need are good quality flour and fresh free range eggs. The ratio is 1 whole egg for every 100g of flour. We basically consider 1 egg per person, so for 4 people it would be 4 whole eggs and 400g of flour.

Method

The easiest way to mix the dough is to create a mountain out of the flour, make a well and break the eggs inside, and slowly take the flour from the edges and on to the egg mix. Leave it to rest for half an hour, covered with a tea towel, before you put it through your handmade pasta machine.

You need a large pot and a lot of water to cook pasta properly. Use rock salt if possible for the water. You don't need oil for the water, just stir it a little once you put the pasta in the water. Fresh pasta cooks quickly (circa 3-5 min) - Italian tradition is 'al dente'. The cooked pasta goes into the sauce pan and not the other way around.

Napoli Sauce

Ingredients

• 1 tin of whole peeled tomatoes (400g)
• half an onion
• 2 tbs olive oil
• salt and pepper for seasoning
• basil

Method

Chop the half onion and put the olive oil in the frying pan, fry the onions until golden brown, add the (already blended) tomatoes, cover with a lid and leave it for 15 min on low heat.

Remove the lid and keep cooking it for another 10-15 min, and in the last 5 min of cooking add a handful of fresh basil leaves. Add the salt and pepper seasoning at the very end. Cooking time varies from 20-25 minutes, depending on type of stove.