Few cultures know how to employ a tomato the way the Italians do and Italian pasta is the beneficiary of this skill. They are masters of finding different ways to shape and cook this versatile product. Nothing beats freshly made pasta cooked "al dente" and served with a simple sauce and a sprinkling of parmesan. I have given the basic recipe for pasta below but feel free to experiment by adding your own flavouring.

Fresh pasta is very easy to make and it tastes a lot better than the dried pasta you can buy in stores. Making pasta only requires a few basic ingredients and it doesn't take very long to make.

Preparing homemade pasta elevates a simple product into a fresh, delicious and delicately textured dish. Enjoy learning how to make fresh pasta noodles, ravioli, great sauces and fillings.

Making homemade pasta requires some practice, but it is well worth the effort. The recipes the Italians have shared with us, is a tradition that many people enjoy.

Making homemade pasta takes a little time to get the noodles just right, but everyone agrees it tastes better than store bought products. When looking to buy a pasta maker, you will need to first consider whether a manual, hand-crank machine is what you prefer or perhaps go with an automatic, electric pasta machine.

So start with say 9 ounces (250g) of 00 plain flour – you can get this in many supermarkets but if not then try the local deli. This flour gives a refined texture and tastes a lot better than normal plain flour. Add 2 eggs to this and sir in slowly. A real Italian would mix this with their hands but if you want to use a wooden spoon just make sure you don't mix in the flour too quickly. If you do it will become lumpy. Once this is done you can move onto the kneading.

Kneading is surely the most therapeutic task ever invented. You do something incredibly simple: Push the dough down with the heel of your hand, fold it over, turn it 90 degrees, and push it again, fold it over, turn, push, fold, turn. Knead for about 10 minutes, wrap in plastic and leave for 30 minutes to an hour.

Roll out evenly until your dough is very thin. I like to keep lifting the dough every once in a while as I roll to make sure that it isn't sticking to the board. If you are using a machine you can put it through the rollers several times, reducing the gap each time. When your pasta is thin enough you should be able to see newsprint through it. Of course this is not to say you can read it but just to see it is there.

When your pasta is ready it will take 1 and a half to two minutes to cook. Just boil it in lightly salted water and have your favourite sauce ready. If it is not thin enough it will take longer to cook.

Buon Appetito !