How to make naturally colored pasta at home.

How to make green pasta dough.

1. Wilt the spinach in a pan. Then drain it well and chop it. I usually squeeze the cooked spinach in a tea towel to get as much liquid out of it as possible.
2. Once the spinach is chopped, then purée it in a food processor until smooth.
3. Next, sieve the flour into a bowl, add the eggs and the spinach, a pinch of salt and a tablespoon of olive oil. Beat the eggs with a fork and then mix the flour, eggs and spinach together until you have the beginnings of a dough.
4. Next, use your hands to knead the dough in the bowl until it no longer sticks to the side of the bowl.
5. Turn the pasta dough out onto a well-floured work top and knead for 10 minutes until the dough is soft and pliable. Then roll the dough into a ball, wrap it in plastic wrap (clingfilm).
6. After 30 minutes, cut off about a quarter of the dough, flatten it slightly with your hands or a rolling pin, then pass it through your pasta machine 3-4 times through the widest setting.
7. I fold the dough sheet into thirds the first 3 times I pass it through the widest setting. Then pass it through the next settings until the sheet is thin enough to make noodles with.
8. Finally, transfer the dough sheet to a floured work top. You can cut the noodles 2 ways, either roll the sheet up and then cut it into strips starting at one end. The width will depend on what type of noodles you want to make. We also used a pasta cutting rolling pin which are available in Italy for different types of pasta ribbons.
9. Place the ready pasta ribbons in nests on a well-floured tray. Semolina flour is the best for this. Repeat with the rest of the dough.

For the red pasta.

1. If using ready cooked beetroot, cut it into small pieces and purée in a food processor. Add a little water if necessary. If your beetroot is fresh, you will need to boil it first in salted water for 20-40 minutes and then peel.
2. Make the red pasta dough in the same way as the green pasta dough, substituting the beets for the spinach.

For plain uncolored pasta dough.

1. Sieve the flour into a bowl, add the eggs, a pinch of salt and a small tablespoon of olive oil. Beat the eggs with a fork and then mix the flour and eggs together until you have the beginnings of a dough. Next, use your hands to knead the dough in the bowl until it no longer sticks to the side ofthe bowl.
2. Continue as above for the green pasta dough.