4 - 6 dried red chillies, coarsely cut (do not pre-soak)
3 - 4 Tbsps of good quality olive oil (a good splash)
4 - 5 garlic cloves, finely chopped but not minced
3 pieces of sliced smoked ham (we use black forest) cut coarsely into small squares
1 cup of good quality GRATED Parmesan cheese (a little more or less depends on you)
Good bunch of spaghettini enough for 2 people
broccoli, chopped in bite size pieces (enough for 2 people)
Boiling salted water
Salt and Pepper

1. In a large frying pan heat olive oil and throw in the chillies and cook them at med heat until they are BLACK (this is important). They shouldn't be burnt to a crisp just nicely blackened.
   
   
2. Throw in the ham and cook until the pieces are quite leathery. (No...I'm not kidding.)
   
   
3. Throw in the garlic at the last minute or so of cooking the ham so it doesn't burn. (Nothing worse than burnt garlic).
   
   
4. Cook spaghettini in boiling water for as long as it takes to make it al dente. (6 minutes?)
   
   
5. Throw a ladle full of hot pasta pasta water into skillet about 3 minutes before pasta is done. Toss in broccoli.
   
   
6. Drain pasta. (You want a bit of water left in the pasta - it takes the cheese and turns it into a coating sauce) Throw hot cooked pasta into skillet. Toss for only 30 or so seconds.
   
   
7. Throw (looks like we throw everything doesn't it? - we do) in the cheese and toss everything together. Salt - yes you will still need lots of salt even though there is lots of Parmesan cheese. Hot chillies seem to need more salt for some reason. -tph
   
   

I leave the chillies uneaten because I'm a wimp. But the pasta is permeated with hot spiciness. I know people who do eat them, squealing with delight. The claim is that the blackened chillies take on an amazing toasty flavor. -ejm

1 c semolina flour
½ c unbleached all-purpose flour
2 large eggs

1. Mix flours together. Stir eggs in with a fork. Knead with hands to form a ball. Cover tightly with plastic and allow to sit on counter for a couple of hours.
   
   
2. Put dough through handcrank pasta maker. Leave as sheets for lasagne or manicotti or cut into spaghettini or linguine. Lay loosely on a tray. Sprinkle a little flour over top to keep it from sticking to itself.
   
   
3. In a large pot, boil well-salted water. Add noodles cooking them until just tender (very short time). Drain and toss in your favourite sauce.