HOW TO MAKE THE PASTA

Alfredo pasta is best served with egg pasta so start by making this.

Pour the flour on your bench or a wooden board and create a well using your fingers – make the well big enough for your eggs to fit and not spill out.

Crack the eggs inside the well and whisk them (using your fingers or a fork) before slowly pushing the flour from the edges of the well into the egg and mixing as you go.

Repeat this and keep mixing the flour through until all of the egg is combined. Now start bringing it all together until you form a dough and start kneading it with your hands.

Once there is no more flour and the dough ball is nice and smooth, cover it with a bowl and leave it to rest for 10 minutes.

After the dough has rested, cut it onto portions to stretch out and eventually cut into strands for your alfredo pasta recipe.

If using a pasta machine, turn the knob to the widest setting, sprinkle flour onto the machine, press the pasta together to help it fit through and take it through the pasta machine.

Fold this over and take it through one more time.

Now, change the setting until you reach the desired pasta thickness. (The machine I am using works best up to the 6th setting).

You can then pass the pasta sheet through your chosen pasta form and be sure to mix this with flour once you leave it to the side too.

Leave the pasta to the side and cover them with a kitchen towel.

HOW TO COOK THE PASTA ALFREDO:

Put a large pot filled with water on your stove to boil and add a tablespoon of rock salt.

Once the salt has dissolved, add the fresh pasta – this should take around 3 minutes to cook.

After the pasta has been cooking for 2 minutes, collect a mug full of pasta water and leave it to the side.

Strain your pasta using a set of tongs and place it directly into the wide bowl. Place this bowl on top of your pot (the one you were boiling your pasta in) and add the butter.

Mix the butter through using your tongs until it has smothered all of the golden strands of pasta.

Add a touch of pasta water while the butter is melting and continue to mix well.

Once the butter has melted, remove the bowl from the pot (protect the sides of the plate/your hands if you need to!) and quickly add two tablespoons of pasta water along with ⅔ of the parmigiano reggiano cheese.

Combine this really well until you create a creamy texture.

Add another two tablespoons of pasta water, mix through again, add the rest of the parmigiano and continue mixing.

Add one final tablespoon of pasta water, mixing it through while the cream forms and it’s ready!

E ora si mangia, Vincenzo’s Plate….Enjoy!