Maltagliati semolina pasta with speck and saffron C2 cheese

Ingredients

• 80 g semolina
• 80 g plain flour
• 2 eggs
• 20 g butter
• 100 g speck, chopped into small lardons
• 1 tbsp roughly chopped parsley
• 50 g saffron C2 cheese, grated (see Note)

Instructions

Combine the semolina and plain flour on a clean work surface. Create a small well in the centre and add the eggs. Using your fingers, gently combine the eggs with the flour, working it into a dough. (You can always start with a little less flour and then add more if needed.) Knead the pasta well, until well combined and soft and stretchy. Roll the pasta out thinly and evenly on a lightly floured surface before chopping into rough shapes.

Bring a large saucepan of water to the boil for the pasta. Add plenty of salt. (Italians work on the basis of 10 g salt per litre, which is a bit excessive but not a bad place to work back from.) When the water comes to a rolling boil, add your pasta and cook until the pasta is al dente. 

Meanwhile, heat the butter in a deep heavy-based frying pan. Add the speck and fry gently, allowing the speck to release its fat. Once the speck has started to colour, add the chopped parsley and continue to cook over medium heat.

Once the pasta is cooked, drain and then add to the butter, speck and parsley. Gently toss to combine all the flavours before serving. Liberally scatter the grated cheese over the pasta.

Note• If you can’t get hold of the saffron C2 cheese, you can use an alternative full-flavoured, hard matured cheese, such as pecorino.