Anna Haugh's homemade pesto pasta

A plate of Anna Haugh's homemade trofie pasta with rocket pesto, garnished with rocket, broccoli and sun blushed tomatoes. The plate is sitting on a wooden board.

On Tuesday 16th June, chef Anna Haugh joined us in studio to show us how quick and simple it is to make homemade trofie pasta from scratch, along with a delicious nut-free rocket pesto.

Ingredients (serves up to 4)

For the trofie pasta

  • 400g semolina (have extra for kneading)

  • 200ml warm water

  • Salt

For the rocket and sunflower seed pesto

  • 40g fresh rocket

  • 1 clove of garlic

  • 45g Parmesan

  • 1tb sunflower seeds

  • 100ml extra virgin olive oil

  • Pinch of salt

To garnish

  • Leftover fresh rocket

  • Sun blushed tomatoes

Method

For the trofie pasta

  1. Mix the salt and semolina together.

  2. Place the warm water in a large bowl and add 2/3 of the semolina and salt while whisking with a fork or whisk.

  3. As the dough mixture starts to thicken, add the remaining semolina and salt. Finish mixing it with your hands.

  4. Turn the dough out onto a clean kitchen surface.

  5. Knead the dough on the bench for a few minutes, adding more semolina as required to stop it getting sticky and coming apart.

  6. Once the dough is smooth and elastic, wrap it in cling film and leave it to rest on the kitchen work top for 30 minutes.

  7. After the dough has rested, break quarters of it off as required and roll them into tubes.

  8. Slice 1/4 inch pillows of dough off the tubes as you go, sprinkling with a little more semolina.

  9. One by one, briskly rub the pasta pillows between the palms of your hands (or between your palm and a clean work surface) until they have twisted, tapered ends.

  10. Set them down on a tray, and when you have enough, your pasta is ready to cook. If you won't be cooking it in the next couple of hours, cover the tray in cling film and refrigerate.

  11. To cook, place pasta in a saucepan of boiling water. Boil for 2-3 minutes.

For the rocket and sunflower seed pesto

  1. Blend all your pesto ingredients together in a jug with a hand blender, or grind them up in a pestle and mortar.

  2. After draining your boiled pasta, pour the finished pesto on top and toss everything together in the pan.

  3. Garnish with extra rocket and sun blushed tomatoes.