Ingredients

Method

For the pasta:
• 240 g flour
• 2 jumbo free-range eggs
• 2 T extra virgin olive oil
• 2 t salt
For the black pasta (optional):
• 120 g flour
• 1 jumbo free-range egg
• 1 T extra virgin olive oil
• 1 t salt
• 1 t activated charcoal (or black food colouring)
For the smoked paprika pangrattato:
• ½ Woolworths baguette, cut into chunks
• 2 T butter
• 1 T extra virgin olive oil
• 1 T smoked paprika
• salt, to taste
• 800 g Woolworths West Coast half-shell mussels in a creamy lemon-and-garlic sauce
• 4 T extra virgin olive oil

Method

Ingredients

1. To make the pasta, place the flour on a clean work surface. Create a well in the centre and crack in the eggs. Add the olive oil and salt and gently mix the eggs inside the well, taking care not to break the wall of flour. Once the eggs are beaten, slowly begin incorporating some of the flour, working from the inside out until combined.

2. Knead the dough for about 7 minutes or until smooth – it should spring back when gently pressed with your finger. Wrap the dough in clingwrap and set aside to rest for 15 minutes.

3. If you’re making the black pasta, repeat the process of creating the flour well and adding the egg, but before mixing in the egg, add the activated charcoal. Mix the egg with the charcoal and incorporate into the flour. Knead and rest the dough with the other dough.

4. Lightly flour a work surface and divide the plain pasta into 4 balls. Cover with a slightly damp, clean kitchen towel.

5. Roll out the dough using a pasta machine, starting with the largest setting, working your way through the settings until you’ve reached the desired thickness.

6. Cut the pasta by hand to the desired width and length, then hang over a greased rail or rack while continuing the process with the remaining dough. If you’re making the black pasta, do not cut the plain pasta.

7. If you’re making the black pasta, roll the dough out in the same way. Once you have a long sheet of black pasta, cut it into thin strips, similar in width to tagliatelle.

8. Lay the strips of black pasta over the sheet of plain pasta and gently roll, pressing down gently with a rolling pin. Once secure enough, pass the pasta through the pasta machine, reducing the setting on the machine to incorporate the 2 doughs, creating a blackand-white sheet of pasta. After merging the two colours you can cut the pasta into the desired size.

9. To make the pangrattato, chill the bread in the freezer for 1 hour, then place in a blender. Pulse until coarse breadcrumbs form. You might need to do this in batches.

10. Heat the butter and oil in a pan over a medium heat. When the butter begins to foam, add the breadcrumbs, paprika and salt and toast until golden and crisp, about 2 minutes. Remove from the pan and drain on kitchen paper.

11. Remove the mussels from the packaging and place on kitchen paper to remove excess moisture. Heat the oil in a pan over a high heat until smoking. Place the mussels into the oil and cover immediately.

12. Cook the mussels for 1 minute, then remove the lid. Add the accompanying sauce and cook for 3 minutes.

13. Cook the pasta in salted boiling water until al dente, about 3 minutes. Divide between bowls, spoon over the mussels and sauce, and top with the pangrattato.

Cook's note: Remember that fresh pasta cooks faster than dried pasta, and its cooking time differs depending on its thickness.

Find more pasta recipes here

Photographs: Myburgh Du Plessis 
Production: Abigail Donnelly
Food Assistant: Tiffany Kate-Lyn Matthews