Delicate pasta sheets pressed with herbs….

I’m Italian and a mum to four beautiful bambini, so from that statement you can see I’m passionate, (joking)! BUT, I am even more passionate about food, especially Italian food and if we are getting down to the nitty gritty, I adore and love pasta. I could eat it daily if my waist would allow it.

I make fresh pasta at least twice a week at home for my family as well as teach the art of making pasta. Why not make pasta with the family and children, make it a family fun event. Throw away the play dough and get the children making something tasty to eat instead. It is not a task, I can assure you. It’s fun and easy peasy. I relax completely when making pasta. Pinnie on and tied, music on, I’m then in my Italian mamma mode. I experiment with various fillings, flavours, shapes and sauces.

I recently taught a class at The Bay Tree Cottage to make simple pasta. From a plain dough to spaghetti, tagliatelle, filled fluffy ravioli pillows, farfalle, parpadelle and I then threw in a pretty treat. My absolute favourite pass time………

A herb filled layered pasta. The pasta sheets look beautiful, delicate, festive and taste even better. I am still testing what leaves and herbs work well. The stems allow too much moisture into the pasta dough and also can tear the dough whilst rolling. Basil is superb as is oregano and punchy thyme.

Here are some photos I wanted to share with you that Jenny from The Bay Tree Cottage took for me.