Tagliolini Verde con Guanciale e Mascarpone
Region: Italy
Category: Pasta with Vegetables and Meat
Season: Any
Difficulty: Easy and Quick
Tagliolini is a flat, filiform pasta thinner than tagliatelle and wider than linguine. Here it is made with spinach. The sauce is made with mascarpone and ricotta thinned with egg and the cooking water from the spinach pasta, so don’t drain away all the water. The guanciale is an Italian cured pig’s jowl that is made today in this country and can be purchased on-line at www.nimanranch.com, otherwise it can be replaced with pancetta. This dish is delicious as a primo before some fried rabbit.
Yield: Makes 2 servings
Preparation Time: 20 minutes
1 ounce guanciale or pancetta, thinly sliced
1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
1 tablespoon unsalted butter
3 ounces mascarpone cheese
3 ounces ricotta cheese
Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
1/2 pound green (spinach) tagliolini or linguine
1/2 cup frozen or fresh peas
1 large egg
1 cup freshly grated parmigiano-reggiano cheese
1. In a skillet, cook the guanciale with the olive oil and butter over medium heat until crispy, about 5 minutes. Remove and set aside. Add the mascarpone and ricotta cheese to the skillet and cook until it has melted and is smooth, stirring. Season with salt and pepper.
2. Meanwhile, for every pound of pasta, bring 6 quarts of water to a rolling boil over high heat, salt abundantly with up to 1/2 cup of salt, then add the pasta in handfuls. After a few minutes add the peas. Cook over high heat, stirring occasionally so the pasta doesn’t stick together, until al dente. Transfer the pasta and peas to the skillet without draining very well (there should be at least a few tablespoons of water being transferred in order to thin the sauce). Toss the pasta well with the egg and the sauce. Sprinkle on the parmigiano cheese and serve hot.
Posted: 12/27/2006
