Pasta making with I terremoti

I love the idea of cooking with my kids, but in reality, it is a complex ratio. I find my energy levels and spare time have to perfectly synthesise with their enthusiasm and attention spans, and I also have to have specific ingredients to hand. Pasta is one recipe though that is always a pleasure to cook with little people. It's an exercise in purely tactile fun, and because it's reasonably cheap, it's not terribly important if some of the dough goes to waste. There are opportunities for measuring and stirring, cracking eggs, kneading and rolling, cutting (with supervision and assistance), and watching it boil (from a safe distance). Kids can jump in and out depending on their interest and skills level. And my little ragazzi are always enraptured with pasta for dinner. It never fails to please.

With the kids' help, this took twenty five minutes from first measure of flour to first fork in bowl of fully cooked dinner. 

To start with, combine 1.5 cups organic spelt flour in a bowl with one egg and 3/4 cup filtered water. Stir until combined an elastic feeling dough forms.

Turn out onto a lightly floured work surface and set out your implements- rolling pins all 'round! 

Roll and roll and roll until as thin as you can get it. Children will need adults to finish theirs off, in my experience, but it's a whole lot of fun for them to get it as pancake like as possible.

NB- the really little ones will just eat the raw dough. Oh boy! 

Once it's big and flat, it's time to cut it into ribbons. Choose a thickness that works for you and cut away. I'm pretty "rustic" at this stage (that's a code word for rushing!) so just slice quickly and haphazardly, achieving a lovely bundle of differing width noodles.

Look at that! Just like you'd buy in a deli, except so much better!! My son loved the cutting process-

Look how proud he is! Emme is not so sure.

Pop the pasta into a pot of rapidly boiling water and cook for around five minutes. Meanwhile, prepare your ingredients for the sauce. I am in no way this prepared under normal circumstances, but I had my wonderful mum staying last week. It meant lots of fun and help with the smalls, but it also meant fresh made organic ricotta. Mum is incredible in the kitchen. Adventurous and very clever. Anyway, she whipped up ricotta faster than I could make a pot of tea, and so I stirred that, together with some prosciutto di Parma, and broccoli and parsley from the garden, together in a saucepan over high heat until the prosciutto was cooked. I added the pasta and a glug of organic EVOO. And voila! All done.