New World Pappardelle Recipes

PAPPARDELLE WITH BOLOGNESE SAUCE

Steps:

• Put the oil in a large, heavy-bottomed saucepan over medium-high heat. Add the ground meats, sprinkle with salt and pepper, and cook until thoroughly browned and crisp, about 12 minutes. Add more oil as needed if the meat is sticking to the pan.
• Add the onion, carrots, celery, garlic and a heavy pinch of salt to the meat and continue cooking, stirring often, until the vegetables are softened, 6 to 8 minutes.
• Whisk together the tomato paste and white wine in a small bowl. Add to the pot and use a wooden spoon to scrape up the browned bits from the bottom of the pan. Cook until the bottom of the pan is dry, about 8 minutes.
• Tie the thyme and sage together with some twine to form a bundle and add to the pan. Stir in the chicken stock and season with salt. (Taste to check the seasoning.) Bring the sauce to a simmer. Reduce the heat to maintain a low simmer. Cover and cook until sauce thickens slightly, about 90 minutes, stirring occasionally.
• While the sauce simmers, make the pappardelle: Divide the Fresh Pasta dough in half, working with one half at a time and keeping the other half wrapped. Set up a pasta roller attachment on a stand mixer (or secure a hand roller to the side of your work surface) and set it on the widest setting. Lightly dust a baking sheet and work surface with semolina and roll out your dough with a rolling pin until it is thin enough to pass through the pasta roller. Turn on the pasta roller and pass the dough through once, then fold in half, dust with semolina, and put through the roller again. (Keep dusting lightly with semolina flour as needed if the dough seems sticky or damp.) After the second pass through the roller, fold the dough into thirds (like a letter) and roll out one side slightly with a rolling pin so it is thin enough to pass through the machine. Pass through the machine, fold in half again, and pass through one more time. Go to the next setting and pass the dough through twice without folding. Go to third setting and pass through twice. Repeat with the fourth and fifth settings, passing the dough through twice on each.
• Coat the rolled dough with semolina and cut the long sheet of pasta into 10- to 12-inch pieces (you should have three). Stack them on top of each other, sprinkling semolina flour between each sheet. Once all the pieces are stacked, fold the stack in half, then fold in half again. Cut the dough crosswise into strips that are 3/4 to 1 inch wide. Unfold and separate the noodles and place on the prepared baking sheet, making sure they are coated with semolina. (If not cooking right away, make 3 small nests, put in resealable plastic bags and freeze until ready to cook.) Repeat the rolling and cutting process with the remaining pasta dough.
• Bring a large pot of generously salted water to a rapid boil.
• When the sauce is thick and the flavors are well developed, remove the herb bundle. Stir in the cream and set aside until ready to serve.
• Drop 3 servings of pasta (half the full amount of noodles) into the boiling water and stir immediately. Leave the pasta to cook, stirring occasionally, about 3 minutes.
• Transfer about 1 1/2 cups sauce to a large skillet over medium heat. Once the noodles are done, use tongs to transfer them to the pan. Allow some of the pasta water to get in the pan to help thicken the sauce. Toss well and add more sauce if necessary; simmer 1 to 2 minutes. Finish with grated Parmesan and toss again. Divide among 3 bowls and serve with more Parmesan. Repeat with the remaining pappardelle and sauce (you will have some sauce left over).
• Mound the flour in the center of a clean countertop or cutting board. Make a well in the center of the flour 3 to 4 inches wide.
• Crack the eggs into the well and add a pinch of salt. Using a fork, break the yolks and begin to beat the eggs as you would if making scrambled eggs.
• Continue stirring the eggs with a fork in large circles, slowly incorporating the flour. When the eggs form a thick mass and become difficult to stir, about 3 minutes, fold the loose flour from the edges into the pile with a bench scraper and knead until a smooth dough forms. Discard any excess flour.
• Shape the dough into a flat disk, wrap tightly with plastic wrap and set aside to rest for 20 minutes before rolling. If waiting more than 1 hour, refrigerate or freeze the dough. The dough will keep refrigerated for up to 24 hours.