Tagliatelle (pronounced tah-lya-tell-eh) are one of the most popular and delicious pasta shapes in Italian cuisine. They are typical of Bologna, where tagliatelle are handmade by the razdore, or pasta ladies, and served with the essential ragù sauce. Although it is a characteristic Emilian recipe, tagliatelle are quite common in other regions as well and are served with other toppings, such as mushrooms or truffles or a simple fresh tomato sauce. The Brotherhood of the Tortellino and the Italian Academy of Cuisine filed the authentic recipe and dimensions of the original “tagliatella di Bologna” on April 16, 1972, with the Bologna Chamber of Commerce, Craft Trades and Agriculture. A single tagliatella strand has precise measurements that should be 8 millimeters wide after cooking, or about 7 millimeters when raw.
Tagliatelle are cooked by boiling in salted water from 5-8 minutes, depending on whether they are fresh or dried. It is important to taste them before draining, because the differences in the dough and the processing make it impossible to identify a single cooking time. Emilian women still roll out dough with a rolling pin until they have a sheet so thin it is almost transparent, then fold the sheets and cut them into long, thin strips that are hung up to dry. These are quick motions that come from ancient know-how.
There are many sauces that are good with tagliatelle, including simple meat gravies, ragù, mushroom sauces, tomato sauces, pesto and seafood. You can find green tagliatelle, made by adding spinach to the dough, which are perfect topped with butter and cheese. Their texture and the care taken in preparing make for an unforgettable dish, regardless of how they are presented.
Fresh tagliatelle will keep for 2 days in the refrigerator, laid on a floured tray and covered with a cloth. The commercial kind will last up to a week once the package is opened.
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