One: too much sage can make your dinner bitter. Follow the recipe and trust the chef. One time, we thought "more is better" and regretted it.
Two: whenever you can, make fresh pasta for dinner. We do, and have never regretted it. There is nothing like it, and making a party of it by doing it with friends and family is fun.
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| I like this scale because you can change it from ounces to grams. |
Three: when making today's recipe, use a scale to measure your flour!
Four: if you don't have a hand-crank pasta machine (I like Atlas brand), you should get one. They are easy to care for and make weeknight homemade pasta a reality instead of a dream.
Today's recipe is homemade pasta with butter and sage sauce - tagliatelle burro e salvia. We have very much enjoyed this in Italy, and I know you will too - simplicity at its best. And the pasta making doesn't have to be a messy nightmare.
I am going to walk you through a food processor recipe for pasta dough step by step. It is very unusual, but takes only a few minutes, and really works! (The full recipe follows.) Place half the flour and the eggs in the bowl of the processor fitted with the steel blade. Pulse a couple of times to distribute the egg, then run the processor for about 45 seconds. Timing will vary depending on your processor; watch the dough carefully - as you process it, it will creep toward the blade shaft. Once it gets to the shaft, STOP even if you haven't gotten to 45 seconds! If it goes further you will end up with dough inside the blade workings and it is a mess to clean.
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| This is what you should see after your four additions of flour, as described below. |
Add remaining flour in four additions, processing for about 20 seconds after each addition. Again, keep a watchful eye on the dough, especially in the first two additions; if it gets to the blade shaft, stop and make your next addition. After the first addition, it will still be gooey. The second addition will make a ball, which may then disintegrate again to goo. After the third, your pasta dough should resemble Israeli couscous. The fourth addition will make it look like wet sand or Moroccan couscous. You may look at it at this point and ask, "What did David make me do?" Trust me.
Turn the sand-like "dough" out onto the counter - wood, stone, or any other smooth surface. Pull it all together and squeeze it into a ball, wrap it in plastic and let sit on the counter for 30 minutes to let the gluten develop. Unwrap it, and cut it into four pieces. Cover three with a damp towel. Take the fourth and mold it onto a lozenge-shaped piece of dough about 1/2-inch thick. It shouldn't be sticky; if it is, dust it with a little flour before using the machine.
Start rolling it in the machine, beginning at the widest setting (No. 1). If it splits and seems shaggy at all, you can fold it in thirds and run it through again. Turn the machine to the second setting and roll it through once more. Continue one notch at a time until you have reached the 6th setting; you should have a piece of dough about 2 feet long.
Cut this piece of dough in half using your dough scraper or a knife.
Then switch sections of the machine and run this through the tagliatelle setting.
Dredge the strands in a bit of flour and make a small nest of dough; set aside while you repeat the process with the remaining dough.
You are now ready to tackle homemade pasta with minimal effort! The old-fashioned authentic way is great, too, but a bit more work and a lot messier. One night, we made a batch of each type to test which was better, and they had slightly different textures before cooking, but both came out the same when cooked.
That is it for my advice today - now, Buon appetito!
~ David
Tagliatelle Burro e Salvia
Food Processor Pasta
2 large eggs(2 ounces, each)
7 ounces flour
In a food processor, pulse half the flour and the eggs a few times to distribute the eggs, then purée for about 45 seconds. Add remaining flour in four additions, running the food processor for 20 seconds after each addition. In the end, you will have what appears to be sand. Turn out the mixture onto a wooden board and gather it together in a ball. Wrap it in plastic wrap and allow it to sit for 30 minutes. The resulting pasta dough will require no kneading. Simply cut it into fourths, roll each piece out in a hand-cranked pasta machine, then using the other side of the machine, cut into tagliatelle. Dust lightly with flour, and set aside in little nests to dry a bit. While pasta is drying, make sauce. (See photo instructions above for pasta making.)
Butter and Sage Sauce
6 tablespoons unsalted butter
20 sage leaves, washed and dried (5 leaves per person, max)
salt and pepper to taste
grated Parmigiano-Reggiano for serving
Bring a large pot of well-salted water to a boil.
Melt the butter in a large skillet (large enough to hold cooked pasta) - don't let it brown. Add sage leaves and cook until the leaves are wilted and beginning to darken. Remove from heat.
Cook pasta for 2-3 minutes, or until al dente. Reserve 1/2 cup cooking water. Drain pasta and place in skillet; toss with butter and sage. Add reserved water as needed to keep noodles form sticking. Reheat and season with salt and pepper; serve in heated shallow bowls with grated Parmigiano-Reggiano on the side.
Makes four 3-ounce servings.
Labels: butter, food processor pasta dough, homemade pasta, sage
