Covered in flour: vegan pasta from scratch

If at first you don't succeed, try, try, and try again. If there's a pasta machine involved, maybe wait for the flour to settle first.

For my birthday I was lucky enough to be given a pasta maker from my parents. I have been wanting to make my own pasta after watching Michela Chiappa's Simply Italian on channel 4 (which, like Little Paris Kitchen and anything Nigel Slater's ever touched, makes for perfect sick-day viewing). Michela has a ton of useful tips for making pasta which I had never come across including using polenta or semolina to stop the pasta from sticking and some beautiful ways of adding herbs and colours to homemade pasta.

My first attempt at making egg-free pasta obviously was nowhere near as easy as Michela makes it look. However, I've managed to eat a meal from each attempt I've made, and the good news is it does get easier and quicker! Once you've got a knack to it and an evening free, dried pasta will feel pretty drab in comparison to the gorgeous pasta shapes you'll be able to make in around an hour. And if all else fails, you can always make bows!

Makes enough for four-six portions (but you can also freeze the dough to use at another point)

Ingredients
2 cups plain flour
1 cup 00 flour (I use a mix of flours and so far this mix has lead to the best results but you may want to experiment)
1  and 1/4 to 1 and 1/2 of water
Pinch of salt

Pour the flour and salt into a large mixing bowl and make a well in the centre. Pour in the water slowly, incorporating a little flour from the edges each time to gradually build up a ball of dough. Use your hands to get all the flour and water mixed together- it needs to be moist but not sticky.

Turn on to a floured surface and knead for 10 minutes. These will feel like the longest 10 minutes of your life but after about six you will see the dough begin to change and feel stronger and more elastic- add a little more water if you need it to keep it moist.

Cover the pasta with clingfilm and set it aside in the fridge for half an hour. In this time I start making a sauce to go with the pasta. You could also set up a tray or large plate for your pasta to dry on while you're making the batch. Sprinkle polenta or semolina over the try to stop the pasta sticking, as this will fall to the bottom of the saucepan when boiling the pasta and will not effect the taste.

After 30 minutes is up chop the pasta into four pieces so it is easier to work with, while keeping the rest covered so they don't dry out. I have found each of these portions makes enough for two meals, so you could freeze one of the pieces at this point to use for lasagne sheets or anything else you want to have some homemade pasta on hand for.

Take one of the pasta dough pieces and with your hands stretch it into a shape similar to a lasagne sheet. I have found this easiest to work with through the pasta machine. On the widest setting, roll the pasta through the machine twice. Then run through each roller setting until you get to the thinnest. You may need to fold it over if it gets too long, and add more flour to the pasta and machine if it starts to stick. It doesn't really matter how it looks at this point, just to get it through the rollers.

Once you've been through each setting twice, roll it through your chosen pasta shaper- I've been using the wider setting to make fettucine as this is easiest for now. Hold the pasta loosely in your hands as it comes out the rollers so it doesn't stick together, then place on the polenta tray.

After you've shaped all the pasta, boil a saucepan full of salted water. In another little pan, take a few spoonfuls of the sauce you've made and heat up gently. Once the water is bubbling, drop the pasta in and move around with a fork to stop it cooking together. It should cook much faster than dried pasta- in about 2 to 4 minutes. Then lift out and place in the smaller pan with the pasta sauce, and cook for another minute. This will allow the pasta to soak up the sauce while it is still cooking. Trust me, the finished result is entirely worth the faff.

Gluten free, vegan shortbread

One thousand and one apologies for going a little quiet on the blogging front for the past few weeks. The irony is I don't know if I've ever been cooking, baking, concocting and sampling more! My laptop's bookmarks are now just full of vegan holiday recipes, while my camera has taken on an extra layer of icing sugar dust that won't budge. However, while the baking subsides a little I will be posting plenty of Christmas and winter solstice recipes here.

First up is this vegan, gluten free shortbread recipe- this would be perfect to make for any gluten free-friends you have as a homemade present, or even to have ready to stack up at your desk to try and speed up those last few days of work (and how they drag!!)

I adapted this recipe from an American one I found by Char's Kitchen. I chose to use Doves Farm Gluten Free bread flour as it comes with Xanthan Gum in the blend, which you need for this recipe. If you have a preferred GF flour then just use that but with 1/2tsp Xanthan Gum to every cup of flour.

NB: The photos here of the finished biscuits are just half the final batch.

Ingredients
340g vegan margarine/butter such as Vitalite
About 2/3 cup of icing sugar
2 cups of Doves Farm Gluten Free White Bread Flour (plus about another cup for rolling and dusting the biscuits)

Instructions
Cream together the margarine and sugar, then sift in the flour and mix until the mixture is fluffy.
Chill in the fridge for at least 30 minutes. This helps the flour firm up a bit and makes it much easier to cut out shapes like hearts and rabbits, as otherwise the mixture does break easily.

Once the mix has chilled, pre-heat the oven to around 175 degrees Celsius. Tip the dough onto a floured surface and add more flour to knead. It will feel quite soft at first but add a little more flour at a time until it goes a little firmer.

When you're happy with the texture, roll out into around 1cm thickness and cut out with biscuit cutters. Use a spatula to transfer the biscuits to a baking tray lined with greaseproof paper.

Bake for around 10 minutes- you want the biscuits to stay pale and not colour. Move to a baking tray and allow to cool for 10 minutes, when they will also harden.

Chapatis from scratch

For five years now, Wednesdays have been Curry Wednesdays. It was the first thing we decided as new flatmates and somehow it's just always stuck. We used to plot the menu for an entire week, often not finish making it until way past midnight and rarely even make a dent on the masses we'd cooked.

I've finally managed to scale down productions to just one, or maybe two (who can say no to dahl?), but after discovering how to make chapatis, I feel I might still be cooking into the small hours for quite a few more Wednesdays to come. It's not that they take long to make or are fiddly in the slightest, they're just really fun and one is never enough for me.

The recipe below is the simplest form, and then once you've mastered that, just add whatever you feel like- maybe a little curry powder, plain soy yoghurt (works just as well as dairy yoghurt) cumin, chopped coriander...or whatever takes your chapati fancy.

Makes enough for 12

Ingredients
2 cups of wholemeal flour or chapati flour
1 cup warm water
Pinch of salt
2 tbsp sunflower/vegetable oil

Sift the flour into a mixing bowl, then gradually add in the warm water. Next add the salt and any flavourings you wish to add also.  Work the mixture until it is all combined in a soft dough, and if you have time, leave aside this for 10-30 minutes. If you're making a curry along side this, I would get all the ingredients cooked now, until you are just waiting for the curry to reduce- then everything should be ready at the same time.

Chop the dough into segments- you should be able to get 12 from this recipe. On a well floured surface, roll the chapati out until it is as thin as you can handle it. The dough seems to absorb a lot of flour so keep the rolling pin and surface well covered if it starts to stick.

With a dry frying pan on a medium high heat, add the chapati and heat until it starts to puff up- then flip it over and do the other side. In this time it's easy to roll the next chapati, as long as you keep an eye on the pan.

Stack all your chapatis on the side, and while this is going on check on your curry if you are making one. I chose sweet potatoes, green lentils, spinach and chickpeas for last week's curry night.

Once you have finished all the chapatis, serve up warm or with a soy yoghurt dip. These also taste great the next day microwaved along with any curry leftovers- so remember to hold a few back!

Salad Days

Another extended break from an internet connection has left blog posts a little thin on the ground for August- but it wasn't all bbqs on the beach and home cooking... at least not all the time!

For my Dad's birthday this year I made him a cook book of all my favourite recipes I have so far discovered. In fact there's been quite a few new dishes I've had to keep under wraps from here as I know he checks it from time to time!

Here's a little look at the finished cook book, which we looked through with fried mushrooms and parsley from the garden for breakfast. Happy Birthday Dad!