Home-made pasta

Italians love pasta and really do eat it every day if they can, usually at lunchtime. It is a first course, or "primo", rather than a main course, and there are over 300 different types of pasta in Italy. Although it is widely used in its dried form, everyone agrees that there is nothing like the home-made version. Here, Bruna demonstrates how to make a basic pasta dough, which she forms into the golden ribbons known as tagliatelle.

When making home-made pasta without a pasta machine, you will need a suitable surface on which to work; a wooden board or marble work surface is ideal, and youíll also need a very long rolling pin. Brunaís is a handmade one given to her by her mother-in-law.

Ingredients (enough for three people)

Every nonna has her own way of making pasta but, in general, it is one egg and 100g of plain flour per person.
300g flour
3 eggs (or one goose egg!)
Pinch of salt
1 litre boiling salted water

Pile some of the flour onto your board and make a well in the middle. (You can use all the flour, but Bruna usually leaves some back for adding later to make sure she gets the correct consistency for her pasta - she never weighs anything!). Break the eggs into the well and add the salt.