Homemade Tagliatelle

Instructions

Space two tall dining room or kitchen chairs with their backs facing each other about 3 feet (91 cm) apart. Lay a broomstick across the tops of the chairs. Drape several clean kitchen towels over the broomstick to completely cover it. If you happen to have a pasta hanging rack, there's no need to rearrange your furniture. Alternatively, you can prepare a baking sheet by dusting it with semolina flour and setting it aside for your pasta to dry.

In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the dough hook attachment, add the flour, salt, and egg yolks and mix on low speed so the flour doesn't fly in your face, about 20 seconds.

Increase the speed to medium, mix until incorporated and you see the mixture come together into a dough ball that wraps around the hook, 1 to 3 minutes.

Increase the speed to high and continue mixing the dough, an additional 30 seconds. Pause your mixing. The dough may have a bit of crumbly texture, so put your hands in there and give it few squeezes, pulling any sticky dough off the dough hook to incorporate it.

Return to mixing, at high speed, about 1 minute. Now here's a fun trick to pull it all together: At the 1-minute mark, add 1 tablespoon of water to the dough and continue mixing, watching it all come together into a very fine-looking dough ball, about 30 seconds. If the dough doesn't come together, continue adding water, 1 tablespoon at a time until it does. It may take as much as 6 tablespoons water, depending on your dough.

Dump the dough onto a lightly floured work surface and, using your fingertips, flatten the dough out into a slightly uniform oblong shape before you begin kneading. To knead, use a pull, push, and turn motion. Begin by pulling the top half of the dough toward you, then use the heel of your hands to push the dough away, repeating this motion, turning the dough each time you do so, about 1 minute. You'll achieve a golden-yellow dough ball with a very firm texture.

Wrap the dough in plastic wrap and refrigerate for 20 minutes.

Meanwhile, attach your pasta maker to your kitchen counter or work surface and set the knob so the rollers are at their widest setting. Divide the rested dough into quarters. Working with one quarter at a time, pass the dough through the setting three times, folding the dough in half with each pass. Once you hear a pop in your dough, that means you're doing it right!

It's important to keep the dough well-floured as you pass it through the pasta rollers, adjusting the roller and working your way from the widest setting to the narrowest setting, passing the dough through twice on each setting. The dough will elongate and become a silky and thinbut not transparentsheet of pasta. Cut the elongated pasta sheet into thirds.

To cut grandmother-style homemade tagliatelle, set your pasta maker's crank on the tagliatelle or fettuccine setting (or if you have an attachment, use that) and pass each piece of dough through once, carefully grabbing your homemade tagliatelle as they come out the other side. Drape them over the broomstick, or on your pasta rack, spacing them out so they don't overlap until ready to cook. Or place them on the prepared baking sheet, wrapping them in your hand so that they fall into a little nest. Repeat the process with the rest of the dough.

Bring a large pot of generously salted water (using fine sea salt) to a boil.

Meanwhile, in a large shallow serving bowl, ladle a generous scoop of warm tomato sauce. Once the water comes to a boil, add the homemade tagliatelle to the pot. Cook until they float to the top and are al dente, 1 1/2 to 2 minutes.

Using tongs, immediately move the pasta to the serving bowl (carrying a bit of the pasta water with you that's OK!). Gently swirl and mingle the pasta in the bowl with the sauce so that they are covered. Add more sauce if you like things extra saucy. Divvy the homemade tagilatelle between individual serving plates and top with freshly grated pecorino.

Mains