Imperia, the Pasta Machine: Fresh Pasta with the Kids

At last I've bought my own Imperia machine for making fresh pasta.

Since then I've made pasta three times, the last time with the kids. As you can see, my children are a constant in my posts, and that's because they're a constant in my kitchen.

Let me take the chance to stress this again: if there are children in the kitchen, you have to be extra careful, especially around the hob and knives. Pan handles should always point inwards, towards the back of the cooker — not outwards, which without kids would be more logical and comfortable — and knives should be kept well out of reach.

I stand the kids on stools so they can reach the worktop properly, and I place the stools well away from the hob.

In other posts I've told you about my experiences with fresh pasta, which boil down to this: 1 egg for every 100 grams of flour. Make a volcano of flour with the eggs in the crater, mix well, then knead for a good while, let it rest, and then roll it out, cut it and boil it.

The machine I bought lets me roll out the dough so it ends up thinner and more even, and then cut it into spaghetti or fettuccine. For now, those are the two cutting options I have.

I'll be honest: it isn't easy, but it is great fun. If the machine has no motor (like mine, for now), you need at least two people — or one very handy person, preferably with four hands. You have to turn the crank while feeding the dough into the top of the machine with one hand and catching it underneath with the other.

This time the crank-turners were my two children, who took turns at the handle with precise timing and exact amounts of dough each, because I can't think of anything worse than a pasta-and-flour war in my kitchen.

Making pasta with them is a bit stressful, but it's wonderful when, at the end, they say “Dad, let's make pasta again tomorrow, OK?” — not to mention how excited they are to eat it afterwards.

In the photo you can see the Imperia machine in the background, and us kneading the dough. If you look closely you can count, or at least guess at, six hands. We have no photos of the machine stage, because the photographer joined in to help too.

Another great experience in the kitchen. In the end we cooked the pasta with some prawns and a little garlic (not much).

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