Making pasta is a singular pleasure. I knead it by hand, rather than in a mixer, because I love feeling the dough change from rough to silky as the gluten develops. It’s cooking at it’s simplest, and also it’s finest. Mixing the two things I love the most – cooking and flowers, creates this incredible, sweet pasta that is always a hit with dinner guests.
- 4 large eggs at room temperature
2 1/2 cups flour (use “00” flour for a silky pasta or all-purpose flour)
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 teaspoon salt - An assortment of edible flowers
Pile up the flour on a clean counter. Make a well in the center and break the eggs into it. Add the olive oil and salt. With a fork, carefully beat the eggs, slowly drawing in the flour from the sides of the well until a firm dough forms.
Knead for 10 minutes or until the dough is soft and silky. Place the dough in plastic wrap and leave to rest for 30 minutes.
While the dough rests, wash your flowers and pat dry. Either remove the petals or press the flowers under a very heavy book for 30 minutes. You don’t want the flowers to form bumps in the pasta.
Roll pasta trough a pasta machine until you reach the lowest setting. Place one sheet of pasta on a floured surface. Place the flowers/petals on the pasta sheet. Place another sheet over the first one and press down gently. Feed the double sheet through the pasta machine on the lowest setting.
Cut the sheet or use as is for lasagna. If you are cooking the pasta, you only need to cook it for a minute or so in boiling water or until it floats to the surface.