Homemade Egg Noodles with Fresh Tomato and Basil Sauce

Over the last 12 months, Mr B and I have been getting right into the whole 'why buy it if you can make it' thing and I have to say we are really enjoying it!

Yes it can be a little more time consuming, but the end result is always so much better and the satisfaction you get from knowing you made it yourself is pretty good too.

Don't get me wrong, I haven't completely turned into Martha Stewart and when I'm pushed for time I do still grab the pre-made stuff, but when I've got some extra time up my sleeve, I will always go for home made over store bought.

Making my own pasta is something I have always wanted to try but despite my home made crusade, I still saw this as a bit of a tall order, especially considering I don't have a pasta machine.

That was until I read a recipe in one of my cookbooks for egg noodles and the recipe sounded so simple that I really had nothing to lose by trying it. Plus the recipe used up the majority of the egg yolks I had leftover from making the Chocolate and Summer Berry Pavlova so it was win-win.

One thing I didn't realise going into this whole pasta making experience was just how much the noodles would expand during cooking. We rolled the dough out really thin, or so we thought, but as soon as they went into the boiling water they just puffed up, so this meant we had to cook them for a bit longer than we planned and we ended up with some fairly chunky, but still delicious, noodles. Next time I think we would roll them out as thin as we possibly could (or invest in that pasta machine!!).

The thing I loved about this recipe though was that the noodles and the tomato and basil sauce were just bursting with fresh home made flavours, that is something you can't buy on a supermarket shelf.

Egg Noodles with Tomato, Basil and Cheese - Serves 4

300g (2 cups) plain flour
1 tspn salt
3 eggs
2 egg yolks
8 ripe roma tomatoes
60ml (1/4 cup) extra virgin olive oil
2 tspns brown sugar
1 tspn red wine vinegar
1 handful of roughly torn fresh basil leaves
Salt and pepper
shaved parmesan and crusty bread to serve

Combine the flour and salt in a large bowl and make a well in the centre. In a seperate bowl, whisk the eggs and egg yolks until combined. Pour the egg mixture into the well in the flour mixture and then mix quickly to combine. You could also do this step in a food processor.

Knead for 3 minutes or until a smooth dough forms. Wrap the dough in lightly greased cling wrap and refrigerate for at least one hour. I made mine the day before and left it in the fridge overnight which is also fine.

Roll the dough out on a lightly floured surface to 4mm thick then fold over four times to create layers in your noodles. Roll the dough out again until it is 1 - 2mm thick. Then cut into roughly 4mm wide strips.

Meanwhile, in a non-stick pan over medium high heat, add the oil and the tomatoes and cook for 5-7 mins or until softened. Mix in the sugar and the vinegar and season with salt and pepper. Allow the mixture to simmer for 7-10 mins. Just prior to serving, stir through the basil leaves.

Cook the noodles in a large saucepan of rapidly boiling salted water for 5-7 minutes (depending on the thickness of your noodles) until al dente. Drain well and divide between 4 bowls. Top with the tomato sauce and sprinkle with parmesan. Serve with crusty bread.

Enjoy!

Mrs B xx