RASCHIATELLI WITH RED PEPPERS

Updated at: Wed, 07 Feb 2024 22:09:14 GMT

Step 1

Either use a bowl or heap the flour onto your board. Using your fingers, make a well and pour in the amount of water you need. Mix

Step 2

Mix the flour into the water, making sure you mop up all the excess flour.

Step 3

Knead the dough, as described for the egg pasta, for 5 minutes. You want a dough that is silky and not sticky to the touch. It won’t have the soft pillowy feel of egg-based pasta dough, but it will feel nice and plastic – and you can use it immediately, there’s no need to leave it to rest. If you knead the dough for longer, it will develop some elasticity and then you will have to let it rest for 20 minutes or so.

Step 4

Cut the dough into apricot-sized pieces and roll them out into ropes about the thickness of an asparagus spear, or something similar to this – nothing too spindly or chunky – unless you want your raschiatelli to turn out like that, of course.

Step 5

Maria’s raschiatelle are three-fingers long, so measure your first three fingers on a pasta rope and cut pieces accordingly. To make the shape, put your fingers on the outside edges of a dough piece and pull your fingers across it, pressing down as you do so. Maria rolls them with both hands at the same time for speed. You can leave them to dry once made, but remember they will take longer to cook.

Step 6

To make the sauce, strip out the pith from the peppers and slice them finely. Warm the olive oil in a sauté pan over a low to medium heat. Chuck in the peppers with the garlic and let the mixture soften without caramelising, stirring often; this will take about 10 minutes.

Step 7

Chop up the tomatoes, add them to the pan with a pinch of salt, and stew everything until you have a thick, sludgy sauce, which will take around 25 minutes. Add a little water if the vegetables haven’t collapsed enough by the time the juices have evaporated. This sauce can be made ahead of time if that is more convenient for you.

Step 8

Strip the basil leaves off their stalks and stir them through.

Step 9

Bring a large pan of salted water to the boil and add the pasta. When they bob to the surface, simmer them for 4–5 minutes; how long will depend on the size of your raschiatelli. Test one to check for doneness. Drain the pasta.

Step 10

Toss the raschiatelli with the sauce, check the seasoning and plate up with plenty of grated ricotta salata over each serving.

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