Tuesday 12th March 2024

So, this is where I am now.

Having moved on from standard dried pasta to ones that are shaped by a copper mould. To pasta from the refrigerated section to this: making my own.

I was expecting something smaller and lighter.

What came was a very heavy, quite large box. The weight coming from three different attachments as well as the machine itself.

And so where to store it when not in use, Precious? That is yet to be decided.

So, an afternoon spent watching YouTube videos on pasta dough making and then use of the machine.

So, next step would be to make the focaccia and then roll the dough and make spaghetti.

I hoped.

In fact the focaccia had been on the make since breakfast. I follow a "no knead" recipe, so once initially mixed, I "tucked and folded" every 30 minutes or so until two or so, then oiled it some more, turned out into a tin, let rise one more time, ass sun dried tomatoes and rosemary, then cook.

I took the dough out of the fridge, kneaded it a little to get it soft, ran a small amount through the machine to clean it.

Cutting the dough into four, I roll each quarter until each sheet was see-through, then put on what I thought was the spaghetti attachment, but as it turned out, did not cut all the way through and the thin strips needed pulling apart.

Jools and I did our best to pull them apart, but really only half was done, some were much wider than others.

I boil a pan of water, cut the guanciale, mix the egg and cheese. And bring it all together.

Not pretty, but the pasta was tasty and I think the sauce needed a little more thickening, but it'll do, and could be mopped up by the plentiful bread.

Carbtastic.

Other than that, not much to report of the day: work and more report writing, nothing but rain outside.

Football in the evening, on the wireless, but with Arsenal going to extra time then penalties before beating Porto, it was nearly 11 when I went to bed.