Homemade Tagliatelle

Easy Recipe for Perfect Fresh Pasta !

Ingredients

• 3 cups (360g) Italian flour
• 4 large eggs (208g without shell)
• 2 teaspoons extra virgin olive oil
• 1/8 teaspoon salt
• Water, as needed
• Semolina flour, for dusting

You (yes, you!) can make delicious, fresh, homemade tagliatelle with the right tips , tricks , and a pasta machine . Follow our beginner-friendly recipe for perfect homemade pasta . I was in middle school the first time I tried fresh pasta at a local cooking school that offered classes for teens. At the end of each class, we would serve and taste each other's dishes. One day, a group served us fresh tagliatelle...

Years later, I still remember that first bite of delicious pasta twists . It’s that memory that inspires me to pull out my pasta tool and dedicate a relaxing Saturday to the wonderful act of making fresh tagliatelle .

What is tagliatelle?

Tagliatelle, pronounced "tah-lyah-TELL-eh," is a thin cut of long pasta eaten in different variations throughout Italy. Legend has it that a court chef in Bologna created the shape inspired by the blond hair of Italian noblewoman Lucrezia Borgia. In the Encyclopedia of Pasta, the author notes that it is much more likely that this cut was already prepared elsewhere in Italy, but he concedes that Bologna probably perfected the shape.

For pasta to be called tagliatelle, the raw pasta strips must be translucent and 6.7 mm to 7 mm wide (about 1/4 inch). They are traditionally made with a ratio of 100 grams of flour to one egg, but a more useful ratio is that the hydration level should be 57% (i.e. there should be 57g of liquid for every 100g of flour).

Tagliatelle is wider than fettuccine but significantly thinner than pappardelle .

How to make homemade tagliatelle

Making homemade tagliatelle involves a few steps, but once you get the hang of it, it can be quite a relaxing process.

Prepare the dough:

Fresh pasta is traditionally made using the well method. Here, we place eggs and olive oil in the center of the flour before mixing and kneading the shredded mass into a soft, smooth dough.

Let the dough rest:

Let the dough rest for at least 30 minutes to give the gluten time to relax, hydrate the flour, and smooth the surface even more.

Roll out the dough:

Divide the dough into sections and run each section through your pasta machine until it forms a thin sheet.

Cut the dough:

Cut each sheet into thin strips of tagliatelle. Note that some pasta machines have a fettuccine cutter, but since tagliatelle pasta sheets are rolled a bit thinner and tagliatelle noodles are cut wider than fettuccine, I prefer to cut them by hand.

Form nests of strips, then cook the nests in boiling water until al dente. And voila!

How to cook tagliatelle

Store-bought dried tagliatelle pasta is often sold in nests. To cook, bring a large pan of salted water to the boil, then carefully add the nests to the water. Cook until al dente according to the packet instructions, then drain and serve with your choice of sauce.

Fresh pasta is much more delicate than dried varieties and requires less cooking time . You still need to cook it in boiling salted water, but it may only need to boil for 1 to 3 minutes until it is tender, cooked through but still slightly al dente (depending on thickness).

How to Make Tagliatelle Without a Pasta Machine

Although this recipe focuses on making tagliatelle with a pasta machine, you can make it without one. You'll need a good rolling pin and a bit of strength, but it's a really rewarding process to roll the dough by hand. Once the dough is rolled out into a thin sheet, you fold and cut it just like you would with the pasta machine.

Tips and Tricks

1. Don't spare the egg :

Use the whole egg to get the perfect egg to flour ratio! I even save the remaining egg white stuck to the shell.

2. Make a wide well:

A wide, solid well will keep your eggs from spilling much better than a narrow, deep well.

3. Keep a spray bottle handy:

Depending on the humidity, your dough may dry out slightly during kneading. A spray bottle adds just enough moisture to keep your dough soft and pliable.

4. Flour properly:

Pasta tends to stick together. Trust me, I learned this the hard way. Generously dust your tagliatelle with flour before cutting and rolling it into nests. And be sure to dust any baking sheet or container you're storing the tagliatelle in.

5. Set your pasta machine:

Another lesson learned the hard way. Always remember to return the pasta machine to the widest setting when rolling out a new section of dough.

How to serve tagliatelle?

Fresh pasta is so delicious on its own that I prefer to serve it with a simple sauce like a cream sauce that I have reduced over the stove with a little garlic, salt and pepper.

Method in detail

1. Make the egg well :

On a large wooden cutting board or work surface, measure the flour into a pile. Roll your fist in a circular motion in the center of the pile to form a large, wide well to hold the eggs. Carefully pour the eggs, olive oil, and salt into the well and whisk with a fork until combined.

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2. Gather the dough :

Slowly begin to incorporate and whisk the flour from the center into the liquid in a circular motion with your fork. Continue mixing the flour and egg until the mixture is thick, like a puree .

Using a dough scraper or spoon , begin scraping any unincorporated flour from the outer edges into the wet mixture. Once the dough resembles a disheveled mass with lots of wet and dry spots, begin kneading with your hands .

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3. Knead the dough :

Knead until the dough forms a rough dough, 3 to 4 minutes. Scrape and discard any unincorporated flour bits from your work surface, and wash and dry your hands. Continue kneading until the dough is soft, smooth, and not sticky, 6 to 7 minutes. It's normal for the dough to have some textured areas, but it should be mostly smooth with no dry spots.

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TRICK :

If the dough seems very dry and is having trouble coming together into a cohesive mass, add a teaspoon of water at a time to bring it together. If the dough starts to dry out slightly while you're kneading it (this is normal!), lightly mist it with a spray bottle or wet your hands.

If the dough seems slightly sticky, try kneading it for 1 to 2 minutes to see if that resolves the hydration issue. If not, dust the work surface with 1/2 teaspoon of flour and incorporate it into the dough as you knead.

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4. Rest the dough:

Wrap the dough tightly in plastic wrap and let rest for at least 30 minutes or up to 4 hours at room temperature (alternatively, refrigerate the wrapped dough for up to 24 hours, then let come to room temperature before rolling out).

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5. Roll out the dough:

Dust a large baking sheet with semolina flour and set aside.

Using a knife or pastry cutter, divide the dough into 4 equal sections. Work with one section at a time, wrapping the remaining sections in plastic wrap to prevent them from drying out.

Use a rolling pin to roll out the dough to 1/4 inch (0.6 cm) thickness. Then turn on your pasta machine and run it through twice on the widest setting (don't worry about rounded edges, we'll fix those soon).

Turn the dough 90 degrees and fold it into an envelope shape. Spread the dough slightly to seal the edges and form a rectangle. Roll the dough through the widest setting once more, then roll it through the second widest setting twice.

Repeat, passing the dough through a thinner setting twice, until you have a thin, translucent sheet about 1.6mm thick.

6. Cut the pasta:

Lightly dust the sheet with semolina flour. With the short side facing you, fold the dough accordion-style into 10 cm segments. Using a sharp knife , cut the stack into 0.6 cm strips.

Unroll each strip into a complete strand (or, if you've dusted enough semolina flour, you can shake the strips lightly, and they'll unroll together). Dust with a little more flour, then roll and twist 8-10 tagliatelle strips into a nest and transfer to the baking sheet.

7. Repeat:

Set your pasta machine back to the widest setting. Repeat, rolling the remaining sections of dough through the pasta machine and cutting them into tagliatelle.

8. Cook or store:

Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Carefully lower each nest into the cooking water. Once all the nests have been added, swirl the pot, and cook until al dente, 1 to 4 minutes. Using tongs, transfer the pasta to a pot with the sauce of your choice and toss to coat. Serve immediately.

Store uncooked pasta nests in an airtight container lined with parchment paper and sprinkled with semolina in the refrigerator for up to 24 hours. Try to use a wide container so the nests sit in a single layer to avoid crushing them.

For longer term storage, dust each nest generously with semolina flour. Let dry for 5-10 minutes. Meanwhile, line a baking sheet with parchment paper and dust with more flour.

Arrange each nest spaced apart on the baking sheet (make sure they are not touching), and freeze for 1 hour. Transfer frozen nests to an airtight container and freeze for up to 1 month.

Cook directly from frozen (frozen pasta may take a few extra minutes to cook).

Nutritional information (per serving):

• Calories: 348
• Lipids: 7 g
• Carbohydrates: 56 g
• Protein: 14 g

I hope you enjoy this delicious cooking recipe !! Feel free to leave a comment.

Karishma.P

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