Homemade fettuccine with sausage

Instructions

1. For the sauce, squeeze out the meat from the sausage casings and roll into walnut-sized balls. Heat the oil in a large frying pan over medium-high heat. Add the garlic and cook for 30 seconds or until fragrant, then add the sausage meatballs and brown for a couple of minutes.
2. Add the wine and simmer for a few minutes to allow the alcohol to evaporate. Add the passata, capsicum, salt and pepper. Reduce the heat to low, cover with a lid and simmer for 3 hours, stirring occasionally. Taste for seasoning and adjust to your liking. Remove the capsicum piece.
3. Meanwhile, place the flour on a wooden board, make a well in the centre and drop in the eggs, egg yolks and a good pinch of salt. Mix together using your fingers or a fork, then knead vigorously for about 10 minutes. At first, it will look crumbly, but once your body heat activates the starch in the flour, the dough will change its texture, transforming into a smooth, firm ball. (If you want to speed things up, mix the dough ingredients in a food processor until they resemble wet sand, then tip onto a floured board, bring together with your hands and knead for 1 minute.) Wrap the dough in plastic wrap and let it rest in the fridge for 30 minutes.
4. Cut the dough into quarters. Work with one piece at a time and keep the rest wrapped in plastic wrap to prevent it from drying out. Flatten the piece of dough with the palm of your hand, then pass it through the pasta machine’s widest setting 3 - 4 times, folding the dough into three each time. Continue passing the dough, each time through a thinner setting, until you get to the second-last setting or the sheet is roughly 2.5 mm thick. Dust the sheets with semolina and pass them through the fettuccine/tagliatelle setting, roll into nests and set aside.
5. When ready to serve, bring a large pot of salted water to the boil. Drop in the pasta and cook for 2 - 3 minutes or until tender. Lift the pasta out with a spaghetti spoon and drop straight into the sauce. Toss well to coat evenly, then serve hot, scattered with basil and parmesan cheese.