How good are fettuccine all'abruzzese!

To make homemade fettuccine you must not miss a really important ingredient: love. Yes, because fresh pasta is not only a mastery handed down by gastronomic history, but it is also patience, care, family. It is the memory of the wrinkled hand of the grandmother with the floured apron, who with extreme wisdom, taught her children and grandchildren the art of loving at the table. Today, unfortunately, the tradition of fresh homemade pasta with rolling pin and elbow grease is increasingly disappearing, thanks to the hectic life and the little time that often remains, to devote himself to the kitchen. A good solution is the machine to pull the dough, but believe me, there is nothing tastier than the hand-pulled dough, which makes the dough rough and with an artisan consistency. Below I explain how to perfectly pull a dough for fettuccine and tagliatelle, to be seasoned with the classic sauce or as you prefer.  It is practically a must! Long live the grandmothers, who with so much love really taught us everything!

Ingredients to make homemade fettuccine

The ingredients of this recipe are the grandmother's classics for the Emilian pastry, and include an egg for every 100 g of flour of soft wheat. No oil and no salt!

Hands in the dough!

Weigh the flour and pour it on the pastry board, forming a fountain, with a recess in the center. Break the eggs in a bowl and then pour them into the hollow. Try to use fresh eggs, which give it a more yellow color. With a fork begin to gently beat the eggs with a constant movement of the hand. Now begin to gradually incorporate the flour by pinching it with the tines of the fork and dragging it towards the eggs, then continuing to stir. Incorporate as much flour as you can by starting to create a consistent dough, then continue with a tarot so as to collect it all, well. Knead the dough with your hands for about 10-15 minutes, always collecting the flour on a pastry board, incorporating it. Try to pull the dough outwards and then go back almost rolling it up, using the lower part of the palm of your hand, until you get a smooth and compact pallet. Never add more flour, you don't need to... You just need patience and elbow grease. Do not worry about cleaning your hands while kneading, you will see that in the end, when you have obtained a perfect ball, your hands will also be well cleaned! Wrap the dough in plastic wrap and let it rest away from heat sources, in a cool, dry place, for 30 minutes. Do not put it in the refrigerator, unless you want to pull the dough the next day. After the rest time, discard the dough, flatten it a little with your hands, trying to give it a round shape, and start rolling it out with a rolling pin. Do not put flour on the pastry board, if the dough is well made it is elastic and not sticky. The hands must always start close on the rolling pin, and then slide sideways distancing yourself while pulling the dough. Now begins the most tiring part, because the secret to pull a good sheet, in addition to patience and elbow grease, also lies in the correct use of the rolling pin, which you have to move in all directions to give a round shape as the dough is pulled. The hands must always start close on the rolling pin, and then slide sideways distancing yourself while pulling the dough. When you slide with a rolling pin on the dough, always exerting a slight pressure outwards, never reach the edges otherwise they will thin too much, breaking. On the edges you will pass at the end. Every now and then turn the dough, rolling it on a rolling pin and turning it upside down, continuing to pull it. The thickness of the final sheet must be about 2 mm, and round in shape. Obviously the thickness can vary according to personal taste and the use you will have to make of it: for stuffed pasta, for example tortellini or ravioli, the dough must be 1mm, almost transparent. I always pull it a little higher when I have to make fettuccine, almost 3 mm, because my daughter and my husband adore them big, but I trust you that I adore them more subtle, and sometimes I win! Here is the finished sheet, well round and with a thickness of 2 mm. Sprinkle the dough with flour, and start rolling it, rather tight (not too much). Once you have the roll, slice it into slices with the tarot (if well sharpened) or a smooth blade knife. The width for homemade fettuccine is about 4 mm. Tagliatelle, for example, are narrower (about 2-3 mm) while for pappardelle we are about 5-6 mm. Now gently unroll the fettuccine simply by moving the rolls with your hands. Sprinkle the pastry board with flour and scatter the fettuccine, sprinkle with very little flour and cover them with a cloth, letting them rest 1-2 hours before cooking, away from heat and moisture. Cook the fettuccine in boiling salted water for about 5 minutes, dipping them a little at a time. Even cooking can vary depending on your taste (more or less al dente), so after 4-5 minutes, taste!

It is a first course, as the title suggests, typical and traditional of that beautiful region that is Abruzzo. It is certainly a poor recipe but rich in taste, made with simple ingredients and common use that will certainly conquer even the most refined and demanding palates. It is a first course made with bacon, onions, parsley and basil but what gives a rustic flavor is certainly the presence of pecorino and pepper that complete a real work of art with an authentic taste. As per tradition here I wanted to use fettuccine, but if you want, you can also use another shape of pasta. Bring to the table this first course with an irresistible scent and flavor, perhaps during a dinner with friends, and you will see what success it will be!

INGREDIENTS

Fettuccine 400 g

Stretched bacon 250 g

Onions 200 g

Parsley 1 Bunch

Basil 1 Bunch

Pecorino cheese to taste

Black pepper to taste

Salt to taste

Extra Virgin Olive Oil 4 Tablespoons

PREPARATION

When you want to make the recipe of fettuccine all'abruzzese, first chop the onions very finely together with the bacon and transfer the chopped to a pan together with a nice round of oil. Sauté, stirring frequently, over very low heat for about 10 minutes or until the onion is tender and the bacon well colored. If the preparation tends to stick, add a little hot water. At this point boil the fettuccine in salted water.

Just before draining the pasta, prepare a finely chopped basil and parsley and add it to the pan, mix well and season with salt and pepper. Drain the pasta directly into the pan with the sauce, add a little' cooking water of the pasta itself to mix everything, let flavor for a few moments and serve with a