Tagliatelle

Ingredients

Equipment Needed

• •Large wooden board or clean work surface (at least 24 inches)
• •Fork for beating eggs
• •Plastic wrap
• •Sharp chef's knife
• •Hand-crank pasta machine (recommended)
• •Long rolling pin (if rolling by hand)
• •Clean wooden dowel for draping (optional)
• •Sheet pan for drying nests

Instructions

1. 1

   Form the well

   Pour the flour onto a large wooden board or clean work surface. Shape it into a mound, then make a deep well in the center with steep walls. The well must be wide enough to hold the eggs without breaching. If the walls collapse and the eggs run across your counter, you will understand why I am precise about this.

2. 2

   Add the eggs

   Crack the eggs directly into the well. Using a fork, beat the eggs gently, keeping the motion inside the well. Begin incorporating flour from the inner walls of the well, pulling it into the eggs gradually. Work from the inside out, maintaining the wall as long as possible.

   Room temperature eggs incorporate more easily than cold ones. Take them from the refrigerator thirty minutes before you begin.
3. 3

   Form the dough

   When the mixture becomes too thick to stir with a fork, set the fork aside. Use your hands to bring the remaining flour into the dough, folding and pressing until you have a shaggy mass. Not all the flour may incorporate. This is correct. Scrape away any dry bits that refuse to join.

4. 4

   Knead the dough

   Knead the dough with the heel of your palm, pushing it away from you, folding it back, rotating it a quarter turn, and repeating. The dough will transform from rough and sticky to smooth and elastic. This takes 8 to 10 minutes of steady work. Your arms will tire. This is how you know you are working.

   Press your finger into the dough. It should feel like pressing your earlobe: soft but with resistance, smooth but not sticky. If it sticks to your finger, knead in more flour, a tablespoon at a time.
5. 5

   Rest the dough

   Wrap the dough tightly in plastic film and let it rest at room temperature for 30 minutes. The gluten must relax or the dough will spring back when you roll it. Do not skip this step. Do not shorten it. The dough knows how long it needs.

6. 6

   Divide and roll

   Cut the rested dough into four equal pieces. Work with one piece at a time, keeping the others wrapped. Flatten the piece into a rough rectangle with your palm. If using a pasta machine, set it to the widest setting. Pass the dough through, fold it in thirds like a letter, and pass it through again. Repeat this folding and rolling five or six times. This develops the gluten structure and creates smooth sheets.

7. 7

   Thin the sheets

   Without folding now, pass the dough through progressively thinner settings. Support the sheet with your free hand as it emerges, letting it drape over your forearm. Move through each setting once until you reach the second-to-last setting on most machines. The sheet should be thin enough to see the shadow of your hand through it, but sturdy enough to hold together when cut.

   If the sheet tears, the dough is too thin or too dry. Fold it, pass through a wider setting twice, and try again. Pasta dough forgives.
8. 8

   Dry slightly

   Lay the finished sheets on a lightly floured surface or drape them over a clean wooden dowel. Let them dry for 5 to 10 minutes until the surface feels leathery but not brittle. The pasta should no longer stick to itself when touched. If too wet, the noodles clump. If too dry, they shatter when cut.

9. 9

   Cut the tagliatelle

   Dust each sheet lightly with flour. Roll it loosely from both ends toward the center, creating two rolls that meet in the middle. Using a sharp knife, cut straight down through both rolls at 6 to 8 millimeter intervals. Slip the knife blade under the center of the cut noodles and lift. They will unfurl into long ribbons. Toss immediately with semolina to prevent sticking.

10. 10

    Form nests

    Gather small portions of cut tagliatelle and twist them gently into loose nests. Lay them on a semolina-dusted tray. Fresh tagliatelle can be cooked immediately or dried for later. The nests hold their shape and cook evenly.

11. 11

    Cook properly

    Bring abundant salted water to a vigorous boil. Four quarts for one pound of pasta. Add the tagliatelle and stir immediately to prevent clumping. Fresh pasta cooks in 2 to 3 minutes. It is done when tender but with pleasant resistance. There is no exact moment. You must taste. Drain, reserving pasta water, and sauce immediately. Fresh pasta waits for no one.

Chef Tips

• •Tipo 00 flour, ground to a fine powder, creates the silky texture characteristic of Emilian pasta. All-purpose flour works but produces a slightly coarser result. Do not use bread flour; the extra protein makes the dough too elastic to roll thin.
• •The ratio is approximately 100 grams of flour per large egg. Eggs vary in size, humidity affects flour. Learn to feel the dough rather than measuring obsessively. Your hands will teach you what the numbers cannot.
• •Hand-rolling produces a rougher surface that grips sauce better than machine-rolled pasta. If you wish to learn, start with smaller portions and use a long, thin rolling pin. But know that excellent tagliatelle comes from a machine too.
• •Fresh pasta doubles in size when cooked. One pound of fresh tagliatelle serves four as a main course or six as a first course. Do not crowd the pot.

Advance Preparation

• •The dough can be made up to 24 hours ahead, wrapped tightly, and refrigerated. Bring to room temperature before rolling.
• •Cut tagliatelle can be dried completely at room temperature for 24 hours, then stored in an airtight container for up to one month. Dried fresh pasta cooks in 4 to 5 minutes.
• •Fresh nests can be frozen on a sheet pan, then transferred to a freezer bag for up to two months. Cook directly from frozen, adding one minute to the cooking time.

Frequently Asked Questions

Nutrition Information

1 serving (about 115g)