Small-Batch Tagliatelle

Nothing disrupts my cooking routine so much as being invited out to dinner at the last minute.  The defrosting chicken thighs had to sit in the fridge an extra day while I figured out how to make the contents of the fridge and pantry work until the next time I had a chance to shop.  Two servings of pasta to add to the chicken when the last of the restaurant leftovers ran out seemed like the best route.

Tagliatelle is the first kind of pasta I learned how to make.  Grandma Sophie called them "noodles", possibly because we were under 10 and that's what you can get kids to eat.  We rolled them out, folded the dough, sliced it, and let them dry a bit on a cookbook stand before boiling.  Modern techniques skip the drying part.  I also got out the pasta roller, which is not necessary but I felt like it. I should use that thing more often.  It's fun.

I'm posting the 4-serving version, which is just double what's in the photos.  Exact same procedure.  All decent pasta recipes go by weights, with 100g (3.2 oz) flour per egg.  Just accept that you need a food scale and move on.  There are sites online with approximate volumes by weight for various ingredients.  Most food scales have a metric/pounds toggle switch.

200g/ 6.4 oz flour, plus more for rolling
2 eggs
1 tsp olive oil
1/4 tsp kosher salt, plus more for the pot

1.  Stir together salt and flour (I used half whole wheat flour).  Either in a bowl or on a work surface, form a volcano.  Crack the egg into it and add the oil.

2.  Using a fork, beat the egg in the well of the flour, gradually bringing in more flour as you go.  You're going to end up with a crumbly mixture, almost like you were making scones.

3.  Knead the dough until smooth, 5-10 minutes.  If it's really insisting on being dry and crumbly, wet your hands and shake off most of the water.  When you're done, you should have picked up all the stray bits of dough from your surface and created a seam-free ball.  Wrap in plastic and refrigerate a minimum of 30 minutes, and up to 4 hours.   This allows the glutens to relax and all of the flour to hydrate.

4.  Start boiling a large pot of salted water.  Cut ball into four pieces for easier handling.  Either roll out dough thinly with a rolling pin on a floured surface into a rectangle, or roll into a sheet on #5 or #6 thickness in a pasta roller according to machine directions.

5.  Fold the long sides together, then together again.  Slice 3/4" thick strips with a sharp knife and unfold.  They can hang out on the board while you wait for the water to boil and make whatever sauce you want.

6.  Cook in boiling water until al dente, about 6 minutes.  They do get a little bigger than what you started with.  You'll know it's done when you can stir with no risk of the pasta crumbling, but not so overcooked that they're falling apart.  Drain and serve with anything from just olive oil and herbs to a whole lot of toppings.  I topped this batch of pasta after taking the photos.

Difficulty rating  :)