Most Italians would be perfectly happy to eat pasta every day, and some probably do! Everyday pasta is normally dried durum pasta, delicious when of good quality and properly cooked, and also convenient as it can be stored for months in the cupboard. Fresh pasta, on the other hand, is generally regarded as more sophisticated, and it’s more likely to be found on restaurant menus. This recipe describes how to make ‘tagliolini’ from scratch without a pasta machine, and then serve it with a simple wine mushroom sauce. ‘Tagliolini’ is a kind of ‘tagliatelle,’ and is similarly named from the verb ‘tagliare,’ to cut.
Fresh pasta has a different texture and flavor than dried pasta also because of the different ingredients. Eggs are frequently added (most fresh pasta is labeled: ‘pasta all’uovo’) and all-purpose flour is often used instead of durum wheat flour. This is especially true when fresh pasta is made by hand since durum flour is harder to work into shape.
Ingredients
For the tagliolini
- 100 g (3/4 cup) of flour
- 1 egg
- a pinch of salt (1/16 of a tsp)
For the mushroom sauce
- 2 cloves of garlic, each peeled and cut into 2 or 3 pieces
- 5 or 6 medium-sized cremini mushrooms, sliced
- 2 Tablespoons olive oil
- a splash of white wine
- 1/2 cup of double-cream
- salt & pepper
For the plating
- 1/8 cup grated Parmigiano
- a handful of Italian parsley leaves, minced
- black pepper, ground
Preparation
For the tagliolini
- Using your hands, mix the ingredients together (2).
- Add just enough warm water (2 o 3 teaspoons) to form a compact, hard ball.
- Kneed for a couple of minutes (3).
- Have the dough rest, covered in plastic wrap, for 30 minutes at room temperature.
- As the dough rests, start bringing a large pot of salty water to a boil (see Cooking Pasta 101) and prepare the sauce.
For the mushroom sauce
- Roast the garlic in the olive oil at medium heat (a) until golden.
- Add the cremini mushrooms. Roast them until they soften and start to release some liquid (b).
- Add a splash of white wine and wait until it evaporates fully.
- Remove the garlic and add the cream. Season with salt and simmer for a few minutes (c).
- Turn off the heat and put a lid on the pan to keep the sauce warm and moist.
- Mince the parsley and grate the Parmigiano in preparation for the plating.
- Unwrap the dough and proceed to roll and cut the tagliolini as shown in the video below.
To complete the dish
- Warm up the sauce adding some pasta water to rehydrate it if necessary.
- Boil the pasta for 2 minutes stirring gently (it'll start floating in about a minute).
- Drain the pasta quickly and toss it into the pan with the sauce. Mix gently.
- Serve in bowls, sprinkle with Parmigiano, parsley, and some ground black pepper.
- Enjoy!
Note: This traditional technique makes use of the rolling pin to stretch the dough, as opposed to just pressing it. This process takes a bit of time to master, but it’s easy when making a small batch of noodles. Preparations like ravioli and tortellini are a lot harder to do by hand because they require a thinner dough.
i always yous the pasta roller… I used to do it by hand, but now that i have the machine…
Pasta rollers are nice, but making pasta for two with bare hands is more… sexy 🙂
This is lovely and I do like that you made the pasta for two. I could eat this nearly everyday.
Great post Paolo.
One tip when making mushrooms sauce. Since in north America is pretty hard to find fresh porcini I usually soak some dried porcini in warm water. I then add the softened porcini to the other mushrooms together with the water. This give to all the mushroom a nice porcini flavor.
Thanks Suzi and Stefano for your comments. And thanks Stefano for the tip!
wow. this is so yummy. I like this one. thanks for sharing the procedures and tips, it really helps a lot.