RECIPE OF THE WEEK - BASIL PAPARDELLE

This week's tasty recipe comes from our new Head Chef at The Manor Elstree, Harry Lumsdon. Harry joined us at the hotel in February and shared this homemade pasta recipe of Basil Pappardelle, Rocket, Broccoli, Pine Nuts.

Don't forget to take a picture of your creation and share on social media using #CWHRECIPE or email competitions@countrywidehotels.co.uk

Good luck and happy cooking!

• A recipe is a guideline not a set document. Cooking comes from the heart and everyone enjoys their own flavours. For example, I think this recipe could take some lovely fresh chopped chilli or sesame - make it your own.
• Equipment can be substituted for elbow grease. If you do not have a pasta machine you can achieve this with a rolling pin (or a roll of cling film). Flour well and roll thin till you’re happy with the thickness, think about how your normal pasta looks.
• Your pasta can rest in the fridge for 2 days or just dried on the side for 5 days, so if your busy, make it in advance and mix up the ingredients.
• Where possible use only fresh ingredients, even the greatest of chefs could not achieve their flavours without great ingredients.
• Taste, taste and taste again, as Marco Pierre White used to say you have 5 fingers use them (I recommend spoons these days due to food safety).
• If it goes wrong practice, practice, practice . Making pasta can be really relaxing and is something I really enjoy working with now I have achieved a good understanding of the recipe. You will never want supermarket pasta again.
• Last but not least enjoy yourself, there is no point in cooking if you do not enjoy it, it will show in your final product.
• Read your recipe through to the end before starting.

1. Combine all ingredients together in a food processor until it resembles sand. Remove onto a lightly floured surface and knead together until a smooth dough is formed. Then wrap in cling film and put it in the fridge for a minimum of 2 hours or until dough has firmed up.
2. Flour your dough and roll through a pasta machine working from your thickest setting down to your penultimate thinnest. At this point your dough should be a consistent thickness and you should still be able to handle it easily.
3. Lightly flour your surface and slice long strips in the pasta around ¾ of an inch, don’t worry too much about size as long as they are consistent. Flour your dough lightly again and leave to dry in your kitchen on a tray or hanging for 30 minutes.

1. Remove the florets from your Broccoli and slice thinly, reserve to one side, DO NOT waste the stem, slice this up nice and fine as well and use this as it is full of flavour and nutrients.
2. Heat a dry pan on a medium heat and toast your pine nuts, watch out not to catch the nut and burn it. (To achieve this keep them moving in the pan and keep an eye on them at all times, this should take 2-3 minutes and give you a golden brown nut)
3. Bring a pan of salted water to a rapid boil and drop to a rolling simmer.
4. Pre-heat a frying pan with good quality oil and bring to a high heat, add your broccoli stems and florets and fry hard, do not be afraid to get a bit of colour on these as I believe the chard flavour adds a good depth to the freshness of this dish.
5. Add your pasta to the boiling water. Don’t be afraid of adding a bit too much it makes great for a quick lunch the next day but a rough handful is plenty. Blanch the pasta in the water for roughly 2-3 minutes, I tend to pull a piece out and taste it to check I am happy with the texture for my preference but I always choose a little bit of bite (al dente).
6. Drain the pasta off and add to the pan with the broccoli, also add your pine nuts and grate over your parmesan, a tbsp. of good quality oil and turn the heat off to the pan. Let this all sit for 45 seconds so the heat gently tempers the fats of the cheese to melt and coat with the oil.
7. Give the pasta a few turns in the pan to coat evenly and add your rocket. Toss twice and remove into your bowl quickly. This will help release flavour from the rocket with residual heat but without losing the freshness.
8. Season with a small amount of fresh sea salt and a crack of black pepper and enjoy.