Perfect Pasta with Quick Cherry Tomato Sauce

Perfect Pasta with Quick Cherry Tomato Sauce

For perfect pasta it is imperative to have plenty of salted boiling water. Do not add oil to the water as it stops the sauce adhering to the pasta.

Serves 4
Preparation: 10 minutes
Cooking: 5 minutes

Ingredients

Pasta
500g (2 cups) plain flour
2 eggs
90ml, approx. beetroot juice

Sauce
2 punnets (500g) ripe cherry tomatoes, halved
100 g black olives, stoned (optional)
2 cloves garlic, peeled and finely chopped
1 tablespoon red wine vinegar
½-1  teaspoon chilli flakes (optional, to taste)
1 bunch fresh basil, leaves picked and torn
½ cup (125ml) extra virgin olive oil
Sea salt
Freshly ground black pepper
½ cup shaved parmesan

Method

1. For the sauce: place tomatoes olives, garlic and vinegar (and chilli if using) in a large bowl and break up with a potato masher. Mix in the basil and olive oil. Season to taste. Leave for flavours to develop. This can be made up to an hour in advance.
2. For the pasta: Insert the pappardelle disc, select the egg/flavoured pasta function. Add the flour. Press the liquid calculation button and, for a thick pasta like papardelle add 20ml more liquid than that displayed on the screen by measuring the whisking the eggs  and combining with the beetroot in the supplied measuring jug.
3. Close the lid. Press start and slowly pour liquid into opening on the lid. After 3 minutes of mixing, the pappardelle will extrude. Cut into lengths as it comes out.
4. Bring at least 3 litres water to a rolling boil in a large pot. Add a good tablespoon of salt and then ease in the pasta until it is all submerged. Stir until the water comes back to the boil. Then give another good stir, remove the lid and cook only 4-5 minutes only.
5. Drain pasta (reserving ½ cup cooking water) and toss with the tomato mixture. Add reserved liquid if you want a wetter sauce. Sprinkle with parmesan and serve immediately.

Variation: if preferred you can toss the sauce ingredients in a pan to warm through before tossing through pasta.