Our pals at Rio Vista Olives sent us the incredible oil that we cook with in this post. Like everything that we recommend on our blog, we use and love their products, and hope that you will too!
The Story
Pasta handkerchiefs! Growing up, the only hankies we had in the kitchen were either worn on our heads with the corners knotted, or magicked out of nowhere by Nonna, to be spat on and ferociously applied to whatever mess I’d covered myself with. And flowers with pasta? “Why you do that for?”. But here we are, laminating flowers into pasta, and cutting them into fazzoletti.
Anyone who’s eaten a big old square of pasta will know that it’s actually very satisfying. It sates the same desire as pasta that’s stuck together during boiling. It’s about a big, hearty mouthful of carbs. And hey, it’s way less work to cut your pasta into giant squares. If you took one look at the work involved in our farfalle, and thought that this pasta game wasn’t for you, then maybe this is the shape you’ve been waiting for.
Fazzoletti, or mandilli di seta (literally ‘silk handkerchiefs’), are originally from Liguria. So yes, you guessed it, they’re traditionally served with pesto. Whilst we love to get creative with our recipes, and generate the odd bit of controversy amongst the pasta purists, it’s sometimes hard to argue with a classic pairing of pasta and sauce. Grab some fresh basil, some quality cheese, and a gorgeous spot of extra virgin olive oil. Add nuts, garlic, and seasoning, and you’ve got the perfect fresh pairing for your fazzoletti.
The Pasta
You know the drill. Mix those flours together, and form your glorious benchtop pasta well. Add the egg yolks, water, and olive oil into the centre, and then gradually combine with a fork. Once the dough begins to come together, get your hands in there and form it into a ball. Knead vigorously for 10 minutes, before sealing it up in an airtight container, and resting away from heat or direct sunlight for 30 minutes.
Once it’s rested, give it another quick knead, or pass it through the thickest setting on the pasta machine a few times, folding over itself in between passes. Step it through to a relatively thin setting (we used 6), and then cut it into sheets, laying half out on a lightly floured surface. Scatter the edible flowers over those, before covering with the remaining sheets and sealing gently with your hands.
Open the machine back up to a wider setting (for us this was 4), and then carefully pass the paired sheets through to laminate. Step up by one more setting and pass the sheets through again. Cut into squares and refrigerate uncovered on lightly floured, baking paper lined trays.
For the pesto, throw everything into a mortar and pestle or food processor, or hit it with the stick blender. Once you have a thick, smooth paste, you’re good to go.
We served this pasta drizzled with a generous glug of extra virgin olive oil and a few fresh edible flowers, keeping the pesto on the side so that all of our hard flower-laminating work wasn’t hidden. But obviously once you’ve taken your brag photo, stir that pesto through!
Happy cooking, and buon appetito!
– Al & Al.
Equipment
- Air tight container for resting
- Pasta roller and cutter (if not using a rolling pin and knife)
- Food processor
Ingredients
Pasta
- 100 g 00 flour
- 20 g fine durum semolina
- 5 egg yolks
- 20 ml water
- 1/2 tsp olive oil extra virgin (we used Rio Vista Olives’ Single Variety Signore)
- handful edible flowers cut close to the petals.
Pesto
- 1 cup basil leaves
- 50 ml olive oil extra virgin (we used Rio Vista Olives’ Single Variety Signore)
- 30 g grated romano cheese
- 20 g pine nuts
- 1 small clove garlic
- salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
- Combine the 00 and durum semolina flours, and form into a well. Add the egg yolks, water, and oil into the centre, and stir with a fork to combine.
- Form into a ball using your hands, and knead vigorously for 10 minutes. If the dough sticks to your hands or the kneading surface, add 1-2 teaspoons of flour at a time; if it is too dry, add water in similar amounts.
- Transfer to an airtight container, and leave to rest for 30 minutes, away from heat or direct sunlight.
- Once your dough has rested, divide it into 4 portions, storing those that you’re not working on back in the airtight container. Pass through a pasta machine on the thickest setting a few times, folding the dough over itself in between passes, before incrementally stepping it through to a thickness of 6.
- Lay out half of the pasta sheets, and scatter the edible flowers on top. Lay the other half of the sheets on top, and smooth down gently using your hands.
- Open the pasta machine back up to 4, or a similarly thick setting, and then carefully pass the paired sheets back through to laminate. Step up to a 5 and pass through again.
- Cut the laminated pasta into squares, and transfer to a lightly floured baking paper lined tray, before refrigerating uncovered. This pasta is best eaten within one day.
- To make the pesto, simply add all pesto ingredients into a mortar and pestle and work into a paste. Alternatively, blitz into a paste with a food processor or stick blender.
- Cook the pasta in a large pot of boiling, lightly salted water until al dente. The pasta should be firm but with no white showing when cut or bitten into.
- Drain and serve with a splash of olive oil, and the pesto either spread across the sheets or served on the side (we served it on the side so that you could still see the flowers!).
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