Tajarin Piemontesi

Most of the time I use my all-purpose pasta dough recipe when making homemade noodles. But this past weekend I took a virtual trip to Piemonte and made tajarin, hand-cut egg noodles typical of this northern region. Tajarin ~ pronounced 'tah-yah-REEN' is Piemontese dialect for "tagliolini" and derives from the verb "tagliare," meaning "to cut."

What distinguishes tajarin from other fresh pasta is the amount of egg yolks that go into the dough ~ lots. Some recipes call for only flour and yolks, others for a combination of whole eggs and yolks, which is what I used. In reading the various recipes I found in my old Italian cookbooks, I noticed that a couple called for adding a spooonful of grated Parmigiano cheese. I left it out, but might give it a try next time.

After the dough has been kneaded and has rested, it is stretched into very thin sheets. These are folded upon themselves (strudel-like) and cut into strands, the thinner the better (not as easy as it looks). To keep the rolled up noodles from sticking, I found it helped to sprinkle semolina on the pasta sheets before folding them. In Piemonte they might use very fine cornmeal, but since I'm Abruzzese, semolina is what I had on hand. After cutting, I simply fluffed up the noodles with my fingers and placed them on a towel-lined baking sheet.

You can serve tajarin a number of ways. If they are very thin ~ angel hair-thin ~ they are served in broth. Slightly wider noodles, like those pictured here, are served with meat sauce ~ typically ground meat and sausage, rabbit ragù, or sauce made from chicken livers and gizzards. In Alba, tajarin are tossed with butter and shaved white truffle. Don't I wish. I dressed these with a traditional porcini mushroom ragù.

TAJARIN PIEMONTESI
Makes 4 to 6 servings

Ingredients
300 g (about 2 1/3 cups) "00" flour
2 large eggs
6 large egg yolks
1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
1/2 teaspoon fine sea salt
Semolina for dusting

Porcini Mushroom Ragu, for serving
Freshly grated Parmigiano-Reggiano, for serving

Instructions
1. Mound the flour on a clean work surface and make a wide well in the center. Crack the eggs into the well and add the additional yolks, olive oil, and salt. With a fork, gently whisk together the wet ingredients. Gradually work in flour from around the interior walls of the mound. Continue to incorporate flour until the mixture is thick. Switch to your hands and mix and knead in more flour to form a ball of dough. Keep working in more flour until the dough is firm but still pliable. Use a dough scraper to scrape away any dry bits out of the way. Knead the ball of dough for several more minutes, until it is smooth. Cover with plastic wrap and let rest for 30 to 60 minutes.

2. Cut the dough into 4 quarters and rewrap three. Using a pasta machine (or a Kitchen Aid pasta attachment), stretch the first piece of dough to a long, thin sheet (I take mine to #5 setting on my Marcato Atlas hand-crank machine). Set the sheet aside and cover with a towel or plastic wrap. Stretch the remaining pieces of dough to make three more sheets.

3. Sprinkle the surface of the first dough sheet with a generous coating of semolina. Starting at a short end, fold the sheet up loosely; then, with a sharp knife or the edge of a dough scraper, cut the rolled up sheet into thin strands ~ about 1/8-inch thick. Gently fluff up the cut noodles to unravel them and place them on a rimmed baking sheet lined with a clean, semolina-dusted kitchen towel. Cut the remaining sheets of dough in the same way and arrange them on the baking sheet. If you're not cooking the pasta within a couple of hours, place the baking sheet in the freezer and freeze the tajarin until firm. Then transfer them to a container with a lid or a larger freezer bag and return to the freezer.

4. To cook the tajarin, bring a large pot of water to a boil and salt generously. Gently drop in the pasta (straight from the freezer if frozen) and cook just until tender ~ no more than 3 or 4 minutes for these thin noodles. Drain and dress with Porcini Mushroom Ragù. Serve immediately, with a sprinkle of freshly grated cheese on top.