Homemade Chestnut Pasta with Pork and Cabbage.

Make the pasta

1. Mix the flours and salt in a bowl until combined thoroughly. Then pour into your stand mixer bowl or mound onto a pastry/pasta board.

Making pasta dough by hand

1. Create a well in the middle of the flour and add the 2 eggs, 1 egg yolk, and the olive oil. Whisk the eggs and oil together, then slowly start mixing in the flour from the outside to the inside using a fork. Once everything is well mixed use your hands to knead the dough for about 10 minutes until it’s supple and elastic.

Making pasta dough with a stand mixer

1. If using a stand mixer add the eggs and olive oil to the flour already in the bowl and mix everything together for a minute using the flat beater. Add a little water if the dough seems dry, but it shouldn’t be. then with the dough hook knead for 2-3 minutes. Finally turn the dough out onto a pastry/pasta board and finish kneading by hand. (I often make pasta this way!)

Continue making the pasta

1. Roll the dough into a ball. Cover with plastic wrap ora tea towel and let it rest for 20-30 minutes. (you can start on the pork and cabbage while the pasta dough is resting)
2. Divide the pasta dough into 3-4 pieces. Make thin sheets of pasta by feeding each piece of dough through a pasta roller on progressively thinner settings until you reach the desired thickness. You can also just roll the dough pieces out by hand on your pastry board.
3. Once you have pasta sheets like lasagne. Roll each one up and then start from one end and cut ‘ribbons’ that are 5mm (fettuccine) to10mm (tagliatelle) in width. Place your homemade chestnut pasta ribbons on a tray lined with a floured tea towel or baking paper until ready to cook them. Cooking times will depend on the size of your homemade chestnut pasta.

Making the pork and cabbage

1. Peel the onion and chop finely. Wash the carrots ancelery and chop finely. Dissolve stock cube/granules in 1.5 cups of hot water (if not using homemade vegetable stock).
2. Place the pork ribs, onions, carrots and celery in an oven proof dish. Add the wine and vegetable stock, plus salt and pepper to taste and cover. Cook in a preheated oven at 180°c for about 1.5 hours or until the meat is falling off the bone. Check occasionally to make sure it's not drying out. Add more stock or a little water if necessary.
3. Cut the cabbage into large pieces and blanch in boiling salted water. Drain and chop into smaller pieces. (You can save the water to cook the pasta in)
4. When the pork is ready, remove the meat from the bones and mix in the blanched cabbage. (I kept some pork ribs intact).

Finish and serve

1. Put a pot of water on to boil for the pasta (You can also use the water you blanched the cabbage in). Add salt and bring to the boil again. Cook the pasta until it is al dente. This won’t take long as fresh pasta cooks quickly. Drain the pasta and add it to the pork and cabbage. Mix well and serve immediately.