Who doesn’t love pasta? Similar to pizza, there’s nothing quite like the taste of homemade pasta. My good friend Do (who I could talk to for hours about food because like me, she loves eating as much as cooking) let me borrow her Jamie Oliver pasta machine a while ago. Up until then, I thought pasta making was a complicated art form that an easily confused baker like me could never master. But I gave it a go and was blown away at how easy it is (and cheap). 400g of strong white flour and 4 eggs (for enough pasta to feed 5)... that’s it....flour sieved onto a board to create a ‘volcano’ put a hole in the middle of the volcano with a soon and add the eggs, start to mix with a fork until the flour is combined, use your hands to form a dough then kneed for 10 minutes and refrigerate wrapped in cling film for at least 40 minutes... voila.... ready to roll out and cut pasta. Add simple ingredients when cooked like garlic, chilli oil and chorizo sprinkled with lashings of grated parmesan... and it takes me back to sitting in a wee cobbled outdoor restaurant in Florence soaking up the atmosphere and trying not to lose my decorum while enjoying the best pasta dish ever... magical...ok, back in the room. So, last night I made my new fav pasta dish. Asparagus, white wine chicken & lemon pasta. In uncertain and worrying times, there’s nothing quite like enjoying a home cooked meal round the table with your family to lift your spirits. Let’s face it, we could all do with some joy right now and with lots of time on our hands, why not make food? Because, we all need to eat... right? and food creates moments of happiness. So here’s a pretty rough how to... Approx enough to feed a family of 5 Ingredients Fresh tagliatelle (see above) 1lb of fresh asparagus (trimmed and chopped into roughly 3cm lengths) 2 shallots finely diced 3 cloves garlic minced 4 large chicken fillets (diced) 1 large lemon (zest and juice) ¾ cup pouring cream 1 ½ cups white wine ( I used sauvignon blanc) ¾ cup grates parmesan (plus ¼ cup to serve) Freshly ground black pepper and salt to season Method 1. In a large frying pan cook the asparagus in 1 tbl spoon olive oil on high heat for just a few minutes seasoning with a little salt. Remove from heat and set aside on a plate 2. Put pasta in a large pot of boiling water to cook 3. In the same pan used to cook asparagus, cook diced chicken in 1 tbl spoon olive oil, adding garlic and shallots. Once chicken is fully cooked and shallots have softened, add cream, wine, lemon juice and zest, and parmesan, simmer for approx 5 minutes. 4. Drain pasta once cooked and add to pan along with asparagus. Mix well and add salt and pepper to taste. The sauce will thicken slightly as it sits. 5. Serve with grated parmesan and some fresh parsley 6. Try not to make noises while eating ; ) Enjoy