macchiato

Miss Shiny & I were running late (and oh! but doesn't that seem to always be the tale). We shouldn't have been, for we had both left work with time to spare. But then a phone call ("We're at the Bowler's Club playing Wii! Come along!") and a quick wander down, and a slow chat ("If we beat the high score, everyone gets a round of drinks!") was followed by a surreptitious glance at the time ("Ahh! We need to be at dinner 10 minutes ago!") and a hustle and bustle back up George Street, onto Park then onto Pitt. A scurry past the cupcake shop, Sakura and the convenience store... and we were there. The last to arrive, but present nonetheless.

She didn't know it at the time, but we were there to celebrate her birthday (and, yes. The order of my posts is all jumbled up, but I was never good at being chronological). They had already picked what they were going to eat (so late were we) and so as Miss Shiny & I nodded at each other ("Share?" nod. "Pasta?" "and a Pizza?" "You pick one" "I'll pick the other?" "Done." "Done.") they picked their meals.

Grilled Halloumi served with roma tomato,
olive oil & lemon wedges $13.50

"You know that's just cheese right?" we asked, when a starter of Grilled Halloumi was ordered. "I'm not very hungry". But when it arrived, we were all hungry and the scent of the briney, squeaky, golden grilled cheese was delightful. And paired with fresh slices of roma tomato, it looked ever so delicious. And even so, it wasn't finished, because some people (not me) just aren't that hungry.

Steak Macchiato: new york cut, served with
mushroom sauce, fries & salad $27.50

On the opposite end of the spectrum was the one who ordered the steak. It was brought out with much ooh-ing and ahh-ing for the meat smelt wonderfully charred and the cut was cooked just so. Had I been sitting up closer, I may have nabbed a chip. But, alas. I was not.

Vegetarian Spaghetti: pumpkin, spinach, mushroom,
capsicum, olives, pesto & napolitana sauce $17.50

Pastas here are ordered by sauce and then by shape (penne, spaghetti, angel hair, fettucini, risotto... I know. Risotto isn't a shape, but you catch my drift yes?) And this one looked a treat. Though the picture doesn't show it, I am told that there was a substantial portion of veges intermingled with the spaghetti strands.

Spaghetti Boscaiola: chicken, bacon, mushroom,
shallots, in a creamy garlic sauce $19.50

We had ordered the boscaiola (after some to-ing and fro-ing about penne vs spaghetti). And it was bacony and it was mushroomy and oh, was it creamy! The garlic was mild and the spaghetti was firm. The leaves of rocket on top were a bit of a lifesaver, especially as, after a while, the creamy, cheesy sauce started to stick to your mouth, and your throat and "oh! water? fantastic!" It needed a touch more salt, and a grind of pepper, but these were added without fuss and the dish was well enjoyed.

Sydney Supreme: ham, chorizos, pepperoni,
capsicum, onion, mushroom & pineapple $20.90

But onto the pizzas. And there were so many to choose from! They are served on gorgeous dark wooden blocks, perfect for hacking into the slices on, and have a lovely crisp base. And I will have to brief, because I only tried two of them. One really quite nice, and one which was ok. And neither of them was the Sydney Supreme.

Macchiato: roasted pumpkin, roasted capsicum, grilled onion,
eggplant, mushroom, feta, mozzarella & rosemary $18.90

The OK one was the Macchiato, though I wonder if my judgement was biased by eating it after it had become slightly cold and following a serve of rich boscaiola. The flavours were muted (which I know some like) and the cheese was evenly spread throughout. Oh, and it had pumpkin on it (which, more likely than not, is the real reason I had such neutral feelings towards the dish). best not to trust my judgement in this particular instance then.

Bombay: tandoori chicken, onions, mint yoghurt,
chutney & mozzarella $19.90

SuperDanny had ordered the Bombay, but oh! He was all the way down the other end of the table ("Well, you shouldn't have been so late then" "Yeah...") And the chicken looked tender and smelt oh-so-fragrant and the swirl of minty yoghurt on the top looked like just enough to provide flavour without overpowering everything else and making it all soggy (as yoghurt on pizza has a habit of doing).

Atlantic: garlic prawns, baby rocket, bocconcini
& sundried tomatoes $23.90

And oh, this was the pizza that was good. The prawns still had their tails attached, but I almost prefer that as it makes it easier to spot where they are (and, more importantly, where they aren't). The rocket was refreshing, the tomato provided a surprising zing and the bocconcini... well, I love bocconcini so I was always going to be happy with this, wasn't I?

surprise cake! (from 85C)

So we wandered back and *BAM!* surprised Miss Shiny with a cake from 85C. And she said "OH!" and we got cocoa powder all over the table and may have accidentally snorted it up our noses in the melee that followed. And I think that's the end of the birthdays, for now anyway. (And yes, that was a slightly abrupt ending, but birthdays take it out of me...)

Macchiato
Cnr Liverpool & Pitt St
Sydney NSW 2000
ph 02 9262 9525

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beef & zucchini ragu on pappardelle

Cancel your plans people! We're staying in! No gallivanting about the town because tonight is a hearty, meaty pasta night. It also happens to be another (yes! another!) occasion on which you can impress friends and relatives alike with your by-now-superior pasta making skills. "Oh, its so quick & easy to make" you will say, nochalantly, as you dish it up. "I mean, there's the cooking time for the ragu and the drying time for the pasta" you will clarify "but you're not doing anything during that time, are you?" And you will throw back a glass of red and look oh-so-classy.

It has been getting colder and darker around here. And wetter. And did I mention colder? On the upside, I start feeling like rich, stewy, warming foods. And what a wonderful feeling it is. The family was suitably pleased with this on the table, eating helping after helping until "Ergh..." said one "I think I ate too much" but the others weren't listening, for they had placed their heads in their hands and were halfway to sleep.

chop ze zucchini

beef & zucchini ragu on pappardelle

ingredients:

800g chuck steak
half a head of garlic
rosemary & thyme
400g tin of lentils
400g tin of whole tomatoes
70g tomato paste
350g mushrooms
3 zucchini
250ml red wine
flour, salt, pepper
1 pasta recipe

most of the mise en place

method:

1. Cube your beef & stick it in a bowl with a slosh of olive oil, salt, pepper and the crushed leaves of two sprigs of thyme. Let it sit in the mix for an hour, or half a day, or use it straight away if you must.

browning the meat

2. Now stick a little bit of oil (not olive, for we want it at a decently high temperature) in the bottom of a heavyish pot. I used a cast iron one that we had. It is very heavy. It is also a pain in the behind to wash. Once hot, put batches of your meat in and toss to brown. I have put too much meat in the pot in the above picture. Put less meat in than I did. Once browned, take it out and put it to the side while you do the rest of it.

3. Once all the meat is browned, put it all back into the pot. Add to this all of your peeled, squashed garlic and the red wine (it will go *psst* and release a wonderful smell). Cook until about half the wine is disappeared into the atmosphere.

adding the liquid ingredients

4. Once it is reduced, toss in the tomatoes and the tomato paste. Don't worry about chopping your tomatoes. They will disintegrate while you cook into a lovely red mess. Top it off with a small handful of your herbs. If you are feeling clever, you might want to tie them together with some kitchen string. Else you will be fishing them out one by one later and thinking "Did I add four sprigs of rosemary or five?"

5. Now reduce the heat to a slow simmer, pop the lid on and leave it be.

slicing up the mushrooms

6. Here you can start to do your chopping. There are mushrooms to be chopped. And zucchini. Slices and rounds do me well, but you can do quarters and batonnettes respectively if that takes your fancy. (Are you fancy? I am not so fancy.)

7. You can also start to make your pasta here. Follow the pasta recipe, omitting the lemon if you wish (though I love the way it adds to lighten this dish, even just a smidge). We'll be cutting it into ribbons that are about 2-3cm (or about 1 inch) thick for pappardelle. Don't forget to hang it out to dry!

all in! (po-po-po-poker face)

8. Once you've finished your chopping and rolling and all of that nonsense, or, once about an hour has passed, stick all the veges in. And by all of them, I mean the mushies and the zukes.

toss & turn baby

9. Give it all a good toss around and then stick the lid on again. Be careful here because curious noses may awake their owners from mid-afternoon naps and cause them to stumble down the stairs and into the kitchen where they will say "What's that? Is it done? Can I have some?" in a sleepy, bear-like tone. And you will have to tell them "No" and "another half an hour or so, ok?" and they will grizzle and lumber off back to bed.

the pappardelle

10. Say you've been cooking slowly for about an hour and a half by now. It's time to lift the lid and say "Oh golly! So much liquid!" before panicking and wondering whether anyone would very mind soup for dinner instead of pasta. Fret not! For you're doing fine! Lift the lid and let it cook uncovered for another half hour.

11. And while it is cooking, you can cook your pasta (which should, by now, be well and truly dried).

time to chow down!

12. Half an hour is done and so are the noodles. One on the plate, and then the other. Call out to the family, pour the rest of that bottle of wine out. Don't worry if they're silent while eating. They're not thinking of how to say bad things nicely. In fact, they're probably not thinking at all...

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bonta vita

I am not entirely sure how it started. Perhaps it was at over lunch, at Lee's Malaysian, where he-of-the-matching-waistcoat mentioned that there was a place, not far from here, that served Malaysian-Italian food. And when we heard this, we looked at M. M of Big Bite fame. M who will not waste food. (Will. Not.) M, who records himself as "Other" on the census. M, who is Malaysian/Italian. We were dubious. The suggestions came flying "Beef Rendang Spaghettini!" cried one "Kway Teow Carbonara!" cried the other. But we were intrigued. And we had to go. (Had to.)

One week passed, and then another. M had itchy feet and a desk full of work, and Zo & I couldn't bring ourselves to go to what we had come to know as "M's restaurant" without him. And then it was M's birthday. And we weren't taking no for an answer.

the promising blackboard

As we wander up to the glass fronted building, next to that ever colour-changing fountain, we spot a blackboard in the corner. It says, among other things, three words that send M into a flurry. "Maggi Mee Goreng!" he sings as we are shown to our table. "Maggi Mee Goreng!" he sings as we peruse the menu. "Maggi Mee Goreng! Maggi Mee Goreng!" We are overheard. "I'm sorry, but the new menu only starts on Thursday" we are told. "Dammit!" says M. We peruse the menu again.

outside bonta vita

There are four of us now. Two hungry boys who will eat anything, one hungry boy who will only eat Halal, and me. "D'you think it's Halal?" asks Zo, hopeful, but willing to eat vegetarian if he must. "Nah", say we. "There's bacon on the menu". "I'm gonna ask anyway" says he.

We are oh-so-wrong.

Marcello, co-owner and chef, comes over to have a chat. He explains that everything on the menu is halal - except for a couple of the Rizzas. Eyes light up. Options have been opened. We are thrilled. Then he explains that all of the meat used is halal, properly blessed and all. And that an entirely different set of utensils, pots and pans are used for non-halal food to avoid cross contamination.

Later, we are quietly pondering why this would be so. The extra effort. The extra expense. "I'm allergic to pork" he explains. "Pork, goat and eel. It was so hard for me to eat out, so I understand how difficult it must be for Jewish and Muslim people." Ahhhh...

the roti chef

In the meantime we have ordered enough to feed a troupe. Three Rizzas. A curry. "Something else?" we wonder when Marcello pops out of the kitchen. "We're testing the new menu today" he says, and I have one more dish that you can order if you want. We look up, expectantly. Maggi Mee Goreng perhaps? "Won ton noodles" says he. Oh. "Dry or wet?" ask we. A confused look. "I'll check" and then "my wife says they are dry. And with chicken wontons. So they're halal." "Done". (There was, unfortunately, no Maggi Mee Goreng as Marcello's wife had eaten it all the night before.)

kari kambing & steamed rice $13.95

Our food arrives and the lamb curry is delicious, a must-repeat order. The meat is tender and unctuous, falling apart with the prod of a fork. The curry is rich with tamarind and spice. We start politely. A little bit of rice, a spoonful of curry. A couple of pieces of meat. And then its hits us "Heyyyyyy...." says one, pointing and nodding "Ohhhhhh....." says another, with a grin. Me? I'm chewing away happily and hoping that no-one will notice that the plate has inched its way closer to me.

Wonton Mee $15.95

The won ton mee arrives next. M & I look at each other knowingly. It is hard to get a good won ton mee in the city, nay, anywhere in Sydney really, and we are fingers crossed and hoping for the best. Zo is just excited about the fact that it's halal. "I've never had wontons before" he exclaims eagerly. "Never?" we respond, before realising that they're normally made of pork. While this exchange takes place, I notice that the sauce has been mixed in with the noodles (good) and that the chilli is hot (good) and that the wontons are cooked just right (very good - especially as most places under or over do them). The verdict? It's positive. Wonton Mee is my favourite back in Malaysia, and this is as good as I've had in Sydney.

Rizza with BV sauce

And then the Rizzas arrive. I feel I have to capitalise the word Rizza. It feels wrong not to. For Rizzas are a roti-pizza connundrum. They are the only cross-cultural item on the Bonta Vita menu, the rest being either very Malaysian or very Italian. "The other fusion combinations we tried, they just didn't taste so good" explains Marcello. No beef rendang spaghettini then. Good-oh.

Rizza 5: Marinated mince beef, olives,
cherry tomatoes, mushroom & mozzerella $13.95

In the words of my friend Mak, who came along to Bonta Vita with me the following Saturday, "Ohhhh.... it's like the best part of roti and the best part of pizza all in one go!" I didn't hear much from him for the rest of the evening.

Rizza 3: Chicken chorizo sausage, mushroom,
chilli flakes, grilled onions & mozzerella $13.95

The Rizzas we ordered were delicious. Personal favourites? I actually liked the vegetarian one (below) the best. The capsicum really stood up in it and made me happy. I also tried one with chicken mince in it on a separate occasion, and that one comes a close second.

They are truly genius. Flaky roti pastry. Melted mozzerella. And the BV sauce, a thick, sweet-ish, mild curry which goes so well with everything. The waitstaff were attentive enough to notice that we were sharing, and, after the first one came out saw that I was hacking at it with my fork and knife. It was duly taken back to the kitchen, cut up and returned. The other two Rizzas then arrived pre cut for ease of sharing. I was duly appreciative.

Rizza 7: Chargrilled eggplant, green peas, grilled onions,
roasted capsicum & mozzerella $13.95 (and roti in the background $6.95)

So we're chowing down. I've managed to hijack the rest of the wonton mee. The Kiwi is making short work of the curry and the other two are digging into the Rizzas when another plate arrives. "Have some Roti" says Marcello. "On the house." Why, thankyou! And muchly so! But where do we put it? Our table is already spilling over with plates of food.

So a table is pulled over, and we continue. And when a second plate of roti arrives, it is tipped ceremoniously on top of the first, and that lamb curry that The Kiwi had been working through? Well, I showed him.

Otak-Otak $15.95

Not long after, another plate is brought around. "Otak Otak" we are told. "It's for the new menu. Please, let me know what you think." We are not the types to say no. Especially when we are offered a fish and coconut filled banana leaf, with a surprising basil infused bottom. Toothpicks are carefully removed. The inner mass is ceremoniously cut into four pieces and doled out. Tender chunks of white fish and creamy coconut milk (infused with a hint of the banana leaf and basil) roll around in my mouth. I am eyeing The Kiwi's portion, but my eyes are bigger than my stomach.

A truce is called. My eyes are defeated and my stomach distended. I am utterly stuffed. The Kiwi is called back to work, and the other two chomp away contentedly while I sit and contemplate when and with whom I should make my return visit.

HBD: surprise birthday brownies

We think we are done (and by this stage, M is slumped in his seat like a boy who's eaten that bit too much and is halfway to settling down for a nap). But the surprises don't stop. I smell, wait, what? Sparklers? And a two-person birthday serenade is had, complete with four triangles of rich chocolately brownie and a duo of sparkers atop. As the Kiwi has had to depart, there is an extra piece of brownie on the plate. "I'm not having it" I say, whilst digging into my piece "I'm on a quest to eat less these days. Also, I'm far too full". The boys laugh at me. And with good reason. Because as they hit the half way point, I'm all done with my triangle. And by the time they're done with theirs, I've forked my way through most of the spare one. Hm.

So full tummies abound as we drag ourselves back to work. I promise to return, and do so a week later with Miss Shiny, Mak, SuperDanny & PRC. More of the same is had, plus some dessert and a bonus plate of gelati (My favourites? The durian & the wattleseed gelati. Such a win). But that's another story, for another day.

Bonta Vita
Shop 10-02 Regent Place
501 George Street
Sydney NSW 2000
ph: 02 9267 2212

(note: prices and menu items have been taken from the previous menu - these may have changed since my last visit)

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smoked trout linguine

It has been far too long between drinks, dear friends. Or, perhaps, the time it has taken for this post to appear is due to the distance between drinks being far too short. And when the distance between drinks (both of the physical and metaphorical straint) is being punctuated with dinners out, dinners in, weddings, celebrations, commiserations, sickness, health and rain, all I really want to do is sit. Big, fat bowl of pasta in one hand, fork in the other. Pepper and a squeeze of freshly cut lemon at the ready, where possible. Even better if said pasta involves a certain honey smoked friend we have come to know as Mister Fish.

lemon zest pasta

This pasta is wonderfully light in flavour, despite the richness of the smoked trout, the cream and the cheese. The family? They loved it. Over ate and then sat on the sofa watching that dancing show whilst clutching their stomachs. It does taste better when straight from the pot, as fresh pasta has a tendency to soak up all its surrounding goodness when fridge'd post-intermingling. Which is not necessarily a bad thing - I had this for lunch the next day and it was fan-tastic. A squeeze of lemon to freshen it up and a bit of salad on the side to counteract the cream's impact on my hips.

the inimitable mister fish

smoked trout linguine

ingredients:

one recipe fresh lemon rind pasta
one honey smoked trout (250g)
knob of butter (thumb sized)
300ml fresh cream
50g fresco pecorino (cubed)
50g fromage blanc (crumbled)
half a bunch of chives
one lemon (for squeezing)
salt & pepper

method:

1. Make your pasta first. The rest can be done while it's hanging out to dry. Not making pasta? Well, I guess you could take it out of the packet at this stage. That would be a good start. It will not make you feel as accomplished, but it will do for now. Also, chop your chives. And your cheese. This will save you time (and ensuing panic later).

prep at the beginning: a lifesaver!

2. Have you dealt with a whole smoked fish before? Delightful isn't it? Well, sort of. Once you've wrangled the little mister (or is it a miss?) out of its vaccuum sealed pack, you'll have to rip the skin off and start removing the flesh. Easiest way to do it? Slide your fingers down the middle and then slowly ease the flesh off the bones, watching for any that may come off with the meat. You'll be able to remove these later when pulling the fish apart.

separating the flesh from the bones

3. So go on! Get all oily and fishy smelling. Pull that sucker apart! Do not (as I may have done) absentmindedly answer your phone during this task. It will smell like fish for a while. And by a while, I mean a week.

mister trout loses his backbone

4. So here is the part where you get saucy. Put your butter and cream in a pot that is big enough to hold all your fish plus the pasta. Let the butter melt into the cream. Mmmmm, yellow specked fatty dairy produce.

mister fish gets saucy with the cream

5. Now toss your fish into the cream and heat gently. The idea here is to allow the smoky, fishy flavours to infuse into the cream. Altogether now, "Ahhhhhh!"

pasta boiling away happily

6. Is your pasta cooking? Well the time is now! Lotsa boiling salted water. I use a deep frying basket, because it's just easier that way. Pasta in basket, basket in water, a swirl with the chopsticks and voila! 30 seconds later, it can be drained and tipped into a lightly olive oiled dish in one quick movement. Do this in batches.

cheesy goodness being added

7. While you're cooking the pasta (or immediately after if this is too tricky) toss the cubes of pecorino into the creamy mix and stir til they melt in. This will thicken the creamy sauce, without making it too cheesy and stringy.

8. Melted goodness? Check! Cooked pasta? Check! All that needs to be done now is a quick season (salt and pepper shakers ahoy!) and a swift handful of chives into the cream mixture.

pasta's done. now where's that fish...

9. Toss the (now cooked) pasta into the creamy sauce mix and stir it around happily. There will only be enough "sauce" to just coat the pasta. So keep tossing til each strand is well coated.

10. All you need to do now is serve it. Crumble your fromage blanc over the top. A good squeeze of lemon over the top of each serve (just before eating) really lifts the flavour from "yeah quite good" to "wahoo! party in my mouth!" Loveit.

lick your lips, help your hips!

recipe notes:

Use a regular, store bought fresh or dried pasta if you wish. You won't get that wonderful multi-levelled "lemon juice freshness and then lemon zest undertone" flavour, but it will still be lovely and tasty.

Use any smoked pink fish with this dish. I happened to have a honey smoked trout on had, but have had equal amounts of success with a small smoked salmon (whole fish, not the funny supermarket packets).

Cheese varieties too confusing? A mozzerella will do nicely in place of the pecorino. It won't have as much bite, but will build the sauce in a similar fashion. Add some parmesan to it for flavour if you're going down this route. A crumbly fetta will do nicely in place of the fromage blanc.

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fresh lemon rind pasta

I've been getting back to basics. Going for walks. Ignoring the computer on weekends. Not shopping (much). Oh, and making pasta. I find it relaxes me - something about the mixing and then the kneading and the rolling and cutting. Making ugly, knotted, doughy things beautiful and smooth and speckled with flecks of sunshine yellow. Watching ribbons of gluten stretched goodness flapping around in the breeze on the balcony. Standing in the kitchen, arms aching, entirely satisfied, without having to trot over to the gym and then back again. Oh. And being about to eat your bicep workout later? Just fantastic.

Mister Fish (sourced with great panache from the Eveleigh Markets) needed a friend to accompany him to dinner. He, with his rich smokiness. She, with her citrussy warmth. They were quite the match. It was, however, a pity that nobody told them that they were to be dinner, rather than guests at the same. A pity for them, I should say. For we were quite, quite happy with the result.

can you see the speckles of yellow?

Pasta making is not hard if you have a machine to do your rolling for you. It is a little more of a workout if you don't, but not entirely impossible. You will be most (most!) appreciative later. Not only for the newfound muscle definition, but for the wonderful thing that is fresh pasta. An especially good thing if you've been eating its dried cousin for years and years. I kid you not. It's so good, I've been making a batch every week.

lemon rind pasta

ingredients:

3 eggs (about 60g each)
300g plain flour
1 lemon

method:

0. Before we start, let's take a look at the ingredients. Generally, I use 1 egg per 100g plain flour (you can use Italian Tipo 0 or Tipo 00 for a finer pasta with a higher gluten content, but plain works just fine). This produces a lovely noodley pasta. If you like, you can increase the egg:flour ratio so you've got 3 eggs and 210g flour for a really nice, yellow, eggy pasta. It will be stickier, but it will also be easier to roll out. Aim for about 75g flour per person for a nice big meal.

eggs and flour

1. So measure out your flour and pull the eggs out of the fridge. Or out from under the chook. Whichever is more convenient for you.

add lemon rind

2. Dump the flour into a bowl (plastic, glass or metal - wood is not so great) and make a dent in the middle that is big enough for your eggs to fit into nicely. Crack the eggs and tip the insides into the floury dent. Grate your lemon rind on top.

combine to form a ball

3. Now, using a utensil of your choice (I have used a wooden spoon and a spatula with equal amounts of success), smoosh the egg yolks in (tell me that wasn't fun & I'll tell you you're lying) and stir just the egg like you're making an omelette. As you stir the eggs around, the flour will get caught up in it bit by bit. After a while, you'll get to a point where you just can't stir anymore. So scrape off your implement (tell me that didn't sound nasty) and get your hands in there. Stop when you have a ball-ish shape with as much of the flour incorporated into it as possible.

rolling out the pasta

4. Your pasta will need to chill out for a bit. So stick it into the fridge while you wash everything up. All, like, three things you've used since you've started. And that grotty old coffee cup that no-one wants to wash cos it's, well, a grotty old coffee cup.

5. Once your pasta has finished chillaxing, pull it out of the fridge and onto a benchtop. Flour lightly if you will. Roll it out as much as possible using a rolling pin.

6. If you're just using the rolling pin, here's the easiest way to do it.

6a. First, use a higher egg:flour ratio. That will help.
6b. Roll it out as much as you can in one direction.
6c. Stop, let it shrink back a bit, then rotate 45 degrees and roll out as much as you can again.
6d. Lather, rinse, repeat. Which is hairdresser talk for repeat step 6c until you've come full circle.
6e. Flour, flip and repeat again until you've gotten to your desired thickness.

passing the pasta through the machine

7. For those of you who do have a pasta machine, this bit is simple. Lock & load baby. Start with half of your dough. Pass it through the thickest level five to six times, or until the pasta stops looking like a dried out bit of crusty dough and starts looking like pasta.

8. For ease of cutting, fold over any rounded or funny shaped ends so you end up with a rectangular shape.

9. Keep working your way down the roller sizes until you get to about 4 (or whatever half way is for you). Then cut in half and keep rolling. It will get ridiculously long otherwise.

pasta prepped for cutting

10. You should, by now, have four long pieces of dough, all beautifully rolled out and rectangular. As so. Lay one piece out and flour liberally.

roll it up & cut it up!

11. Roll it up loosely and then cut it into strips of whatever thickness suits your fancy. I like it fancy. I mean, thick. Then quickly unroll the pasta strips! "Yeah! Success!" is what I normally exclaim at this point.

cutting with the machine

12. If you are cutting with the machine, you will get skinner bits of pasta, and your ability to roll in rectangles will become quite (quite) important. Pass it through gently, making sure to line it up properly at the top.

hung out to dry

13. Most importantly? Hang your babies out to dry. I like to make my pasta twice as long as I intend to eat it so that after it is dry, I can snap along the hanging line. How to dry it? Well, alls you gots to do is grab a stick (I used the end of a broom - that I'd cleaned first. Clean it first people!) and prop it up between two things of equal height (my deck chairs). As you cut the pasta & unravel it, drape it over the broomstick. See, pretty no? It'll need about half an hour of dry time before cooking.

How to cook it? Well, I just might deal with that in another post. Stay tuned :)

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