Making Pasta After School

 I'm very aware that the time between school and dinner can be a tough time, and one that can be easily wasted.

Nothing is easier for me than letting the kids come home, putting on the TV, letting them fill their faces with snacks and act like vegetables whilst I get jobs done, like the washing or cooking dinner.

I don't like it like that though, I want my children to remember doing things with me. I'm very lucky to be able to pick them up each day and don't want to waste that time with them.

But in the winter months it can be harder to think of things to do together. They do love helping with making tea though.

One thing I've really wanted to try since having the new kitchen is making pasta. I have made it in the past but not for many years, mainly because we've not had the space. Worktop in the old kitchen was limited and even the table in the dinning room was hard as it was oval so difficult to roll the pasta out. I've never done it with the kids so it's at least 7 years since I last did it.

My wife had threatened to chuck out the pasta roller, and I could understand it from all those years of collecting dust in the cupboard.

But I protested!

I had always planned to do it with the kids and no better time now the kitchen is much bigger!

So last night, with my eldest at a party, I decided to make some pasta with the younger two. I sent my daughter off to get some fresh eggs, luckily the chickens had laid just the number we needed and she burst in shouting "They've laid FOUR!!!"

Pasta is so simple to make, I couldn't believe I'd left it so long since the last time.

375g of flour (00 in this case but any will do)
4 eggs

That's it!!!
Nothing else added, except elbow grease and that was provided by the children.

I set them mixing the dough and working it. They both laughed lots and loved getting their hands dirty in the bowl. When the dough was formed I had a bit of trouble to stop them making pirate ship shapes from it and they soon got into the swing of knocking it around, they've done it lots with bread so I wasn't surprised they liked doing it.

I put some washing on the airer whilst they were doing this and then came back and gave it a final kneed before wrapping it and popping it in the fridge for half an hour.

Then came the really fun bit, rolling it out.

The old pasta machine I have cost me £2 about 15 years ago, at that money I couldn't turn it down, it hasn't done huge amounts in that time though, but it was worth it just for the smile on my daughters face!

She laughed the whole time we rolled out the dough. Telling me it was like really long hair as we rolled it through. She couldn't quite believe that we had just made pasta from scratch.

As soon as her mum and sister got home she rushed up to tell them, and was just as proud as punch!

We cooked it very quickly in boiling water (under 2 minutes) and had it with some mixed bean chilli I had left over. It tasted amazing, soft and silky.

I'm so keen to teach my children where their food comes from and to inspire the passion I have for it!

My eldest seemed more jealous about making pasta than my middle daughter was about not going to the party. We got some cook books out the next morning and went through them to see what else we could make. A crinkled pasta cutter was high on their list so that ravioli could be made in the future, but maybe tortellini next week instead?

Anyone else make their own pasta?

What is your favourite pasta?

What else would you do with the time between school and dinner?