Chitarra Pasta

180gm 00 flour

150gm durum wheat semolina

3 egg yolks + 2 eggs + water up to 180ml

Mix together flour and semolina in a bowl before pouring onto a dry bench surface. Create a well in the middle and pour in lightly whisked egg yolks, eggs and water. Using a fork slowly draw in the flour from the sides and mix in the circular motion. Once wet consistency resembles a pancake texture, grab your bench scraper and fold in the rest of the flour, cutting in the flour over the top with your scraper. Dough should resemble shaggy pieces. Using hands and some extra flour, kneed the dough for 8-10 minutes before placing your dough ball in cling film.

*begin prawn and fennel sauce here*

Once your dough has rested for 30 minutes, cut off piece and flatten with your hand. Place your pasta sheeter on its lowest setting and pass through your dough. Laminate dough by folding it in a book fold and roll through lowest setting again. Laminate three times before rolling your sheet through 6 settings. Repeat this process three times, remembering to flour you dough to avoid sticking to the machine. Lay cling film over the pasta sheets until ready to use.

Slice the pasta sheets to fit just smaller than the size of your chitarra. Dust everything with flour before using a rolling pin to push up and down, don’t roll it though. It’s just a push up and down motion to help push the sheets through the wires. Once most of the string has cut through, strum your fingers across the wires like a guitar to help the pasta fall through. Dust chitarra pasta with flour and pop to the side whilst you work through it all.

*recipe finished in prawn and fennel sauce*

Prawn & Fennel Sauce

10 king prawns

1 bulb fennel

1 brown onion, diced

5 garlic cloves, diced

1 heaped spoon tomato paste

1/2 cup white wine

500ml vegetable stock

50gm creme freche

1/2 lemon, zest and juice

10gm fresh chive, finely chopped

Olive oil

Salt

Turn pizza oven on and bring to roaring temperature. If no pizza oven, preheat oven to grill setting to highest temperature.

Start by de shelling the prawns. Remove poop track from prawn meat and then pop in the fridge for later. Place the heads and shells in a bowl. Cut the fennel bulb into eight long pieces and into the bowl with prawn heads and shells. Dress with a solid drizzle of olive oil and solid pinch of salt and give it a toss.

Once oven is hot, add a oven safe pan in and bring to a high temperature. Carefully remove pan from oven with tea towel and add in the prawn head, shell and fennel into it. Add into the oven and cook until deeply charred and burnt all over. Pop too the side once charred.

Place pot on medium heat add a table spoon of olive oil and bring up to temperature. Add in onion and garlic with a pinch of salt and let it sizzle for 2 minutes before adding tomato paste and mix through. Cook out tomato paste for 1 minute before adding in white wine. Cook the white wine out so that a quarter of it evaporates, then add in the charred prawn heads, shells and fennel and mix through. Add in vegetable stock, season with salt to taste and 2 table spoons of olive oil and allow to simmer for 30 minutes so the sauce reduces by a third. 

For the prawns, cook them on a oiled pan, about a minute on each side, so that they are bright orange colour. Pop to the side.

Once sauce has reduced strain everything out and then place sauce back onto low heat. Add in the creme fraiche and stir in. Then add in cooked pasta and cooked prawns and stir through over low heat for a minute to bring together. Take off heat and finish with lemon zest and juice and salt to taste.