Portobello and Feta Ravioli

I reckon it's high time I popped the cherry on my virgin pasta machine. Making fresh pasta is really therapeutic, what with all the kneading and bashing of the dough.

That said, it's probably a good idea to attempt this with 2 essential pieces of equipment: an electric mixer with a dough attachment and a pasta rolling machine.

If you're a real masochist and want to attempt this by hand, you can try, but I guarantee it will be painful beyond belief. The last time I attempted it was in Bangkok and the results weren't pretty. But then again, I was using an empty wine bottle as a rolling pin in an unfamiliar kitchen so I shouldn't have been that surprised.

It's a good idea to start with the filling first so it has time to cool down.

• 150g feta cheese
• 20 baby portobellos
• 1/2 teaspoon of oregano
• Freshly ground black pepper
• 2 tablespoons butter

Slice the mushrooms while heating up a saucepan on medium heat. Melt butter and add mushrooms, letting it sweat down and get as much moisture out as possible. Season with oregano and pepper and let cool completely.

When cool, drain through a wire strainer, using a spoon to force out as much liquid as possible. Chop finely, then crumble in feta cheese and mash them up into a well-mixed mixture with your hands. Set aside and start on the pasta dough

The basic ingredients for pasta dough is straightforward: Eggs and flour.

The proportions are easy to remember too: 100g of flour for every egg. Roughly 150g of dough makes for one serving.

So, for today, I'm making dinner for 3, so you'll need:

• 400g of flour
• 4 large eggs

To make the dough, put 300g of flour into your mixer and crack in the 4 eggs. Start beating on low and you'll start getting a sticky dough. Add the rest of the flour bit by bit and the dough is worked over by the hook until it starts to form a solid mass that pulls away from the sides of the bowl. You'll know when to stop adding flour when the dough is solid and firm and no longer sticky.

Remove from mixer and knead well for 10 minutes with your hands.

Roll out the dough into sheets with the pasta machine. Start with the thickest setting and run through, and once again on the medium setting.

To assemble the ravioli, lay out a pasta sheet and place teaspoon sized gobs of filling spaced 3cm apart. Brush the edges with water and fold the dough over and seal the filling.

You can use a round cutter to trim the edges, or a knife to trim into squares.

Before cooking, let the ravioli dry on a floured tray for at least 2 hours. An air-conditioned room helps move things along a little faster. Dry one side for an hour, then flip the lil' suckers over and dry for another hour.

To cook, boil in water till they float to the top and al dente, drain and toss with your favourite sauce. You can use a classic tomato, creamy carbonara or a hearty bolognese like I'm doing today.