“Taglierini pasta with San Daniele Ham and Poppy Seeds Sauce” recipe

Instructions

• 1.

  Making the fresh dough for “Taglierini” pasta

  • Eggs - 150gr
  • Plain weak four - 255gr (protein percentage from 9,3% to 10,2%)
  • Back-up flour - 2tbs
  • Flour - as needed

  Crack the eggs into a bowl and weight them. Weight the flour and make sure the eggs are the 60% of the flour (step 1 - pic. A).
  Whisk the eggs with a fork. The yolk and egg whites must blend completely, but try not to incorporate too much air into them (step 1 - pic. B).
  Sift the flour directly into the kneading board and make a large well with it (step 1 - pic. C).
  Place the egg mixture into the centre of the well and start incorporating the flour gradually using a fork. Scrape the flour from the inner edges of the well and incorporate it completely before adding more (step 1 - pic. D).
  When almost all the flour has been mixed with the eggs into a smooth paste, use a scraper to incorporate all the rest: the mixture will be quite lumpy (step 1 - pic. E).
  Collect the lumps in one big heap and start pressing together the dough gradually, making sure all the wet crumbs are added to the dough: if you work the dough too quickly and leave the smaller crumbs out to dry, you will never be able to incorporate them properly and they will brake the pasta sheet (step 1 - pic. F).
  Work the dough until it becomes smooth, then place it into a plastic beg, or wrap it with cling film. Rest the dough, possibly in the fridge for at least 30 minutes in order to roll it out easily as the gluten gets relaxed (step 1 - pic. G).
  

• 2.

  Putting the water to boil, preparing the cheese, the pepper and poppy seeds

  • Fresh water - 5lt
  • Parmigiano cheese - 80gr
  • Black pepper corns - 3gr
  • Poppy seeds - 7gr

  Put a large saucepan (6-8lt), with at least 5lt of water, on a high heat and let it come to the boil. Place a non-stick frying pan over a medium heat and let it warm up (step 2 - pic. A).
  Finely grate the Parmigiano cheese. Crush the black pepper corns finely with pestle and mortar. Set aside (step 2 - pic. B).
  Put the 7gr of poppy seeds into the frying pan and allow them to toast gently for a few minutes: they will make crackling noises when their oils will brake their shells. Set aside. (step 2 - pic. C).
  

• 3.

  Cutting the “San Daniele” Ham into julienne

  • “San Daniele” Ham - 180gr (cut into 2mm thick slices)
  • As an alternative, use any Parma Ham

  With a sharp chef knife, cut the excess of fat from the ham slices and set it aside: it will be used to flavour the melted butter (step 3 - pic. A).
  Overlap the slices and cut them longwise, then turn them and slice them into an even and fine julienne (step 3 - pic. B).
  

• 4.

  Rolling out the 1mm thick pasta sheet

  • The rested fresh pasta dough
  • Flour - as needed

  After 40 minutes, unwrap the pasta dough and place it onto the kneading board which you have previously dusted lightly with flour. Roll out the dough gradually maintaing the round shape of the sheet (step 4 - pic. A).
  If the sheet start being too large to reach it at the top of the board, you can roll it around the rolling pin and gently stretch the sheet from the centre (step 4 - pic. B).
  Stop rolling out when the sheet gets to be 1mm thick. Dust it with flour and wrap it into a clean cotton towel, or as an alternative you can use greaseproof paper too: they will both absorb the humidity from the sheet, so the “Taglierini” will not stick to each other while cutting them. Rest the sheet for 10-15minute (step 4 - pic. C).
  

• 5.

  Cooking the sauce and salting the water for pasta

  • Butter - 50gr
  • The fat trimmings
  • The ham julienne
  • The crushed black pepper
  • Double cream - 130ml
  • The boiling water (5lt)
  • Salt - 50gr
  • The toasted poppy seeds

  Put the butter into the frying pan and let it melt it gently over a medium-low heat. Add immediately the fat trimming and let the fats mix together. When dried out, take out the trimming (step 5 - pic. A).
  Set the heat to a medium power and add the ham julienne, stair evenly and let the ham get cooked very slowly. Then add the black pepper corn to your taste (step 5 - pic. B).
  Add the salt to the boiling water for the pasta (step 5 - pic. C).
  Pour the double cream into the frying pan, then the toasted poppy seeds. Stir evenly and let it heat the mixture for no longer than one minute. Then take away from the heat: the cream must not thicken and the ham must not overcook (step 5 - pic. D).
  

• 6.

  Cutting the “Taglierini” pasta… and more

  • The dried pasta sheet

  Take the pasta sheet out of the towel and even its edges, then roll up the sheet into a long cylinder (step 6 - pic. A).
  Roughly cut the trimmings into odd shapes as large as a finger: you just made “Maltagliati”! dust them with flour and dry them over a grill for a couple of hours: you will use them for another beautiful pasta recipe! (step 6 - pic. B).
  Cut the rolled up sheet into 2 to 3mm large strips, then unroll them and dust them with four to prevent them sticking to each other (step 6 - pic. C).
  

• 7.

  Cooking the “Taglierini” and binding them to the sauce

  • The “Taglierini” pasta
  • The sauce in the frying pan
  • The grated Parmigiano cheese

  Immediately drop the “Taglierini” into the boiling water. Stir gently with a pasta server and cook them until they to come up to the surface: they are ready! (step 7 - pic. A).
  Using a pasta server, strain the “Taglierini” directly into the frying pan and immediately put the pan over a very gentle heat again and bind them to the creamy sauce (step 7 - pic. B).
  In no more than one minute, the mixture will be warm enough to melt the cheese, so take it away from the heat. Add the grated parmigiano cheese, stir evenly and serve immediately (step 7 - pic. C).
  

• Servings : 3
• Ready in : 50
• Course : Starter
• Recipe Type : Fresh pasta making, Pasta, Regional
• Ingredient : Black Pepper, Butter, Double cream, Parmigiano Cheese, Poppy Seeds, Salt, San Daniele Ham, Soft wheat weak flour, Tagliolini, Water, Whole eggs