Taglioni with Grape Sauce

Here's a dish I invented when I was still studying at the uni, money was tight but you got to eat something! So I took the grapes sitting on the table and made them into a pasta sauce. This sauce is probably better with cheese filled ravioli, or pasta with some other shape but I do love long thin pasta ribbons. I dont mind what you call them (I am already confused) - bavarettine, taglioni, linguini - I christen mine "taglioni".

Hints and Tips

Now, I am gonna give basic instructions how to make fresh pasta here but the net is actually abundant with them. You can also buy fresh pasta and use it instead. If you are determined to do everything from the scratch, read on. If you just want the sauce, scroll down.
By the way, if you are thinking getting your first pasta machine, here's two tips:
1. Buy a sturdy one, not one of those flimsy models. It has to be heavy. When you lift it up, you should get the feeling "this is good for clubbering a burglar senseless".
2. See that it can be properly attached to the table. Nothing is more irritating than loose pasta machine when you trying to work your dough.

Phasing the work

1. Make the pasta dough. Cover and let rest.
2. Meanwhile, slice, dice and saute veggies. Prepare the sauce.
3. Put a big kettle with cold water to boil. While the sauce is simmering, work the pasta into shapes (ribbons, ravioloni)
4. Finish sauce, boil pasta.

Making Pasta Dough

The basic ingredients for pasta dough are durum flour, eggs, olive oil and salt. You can also add tomato paste or garlic paste. You can blend the ingredients in a food mixer. Here's how you do it by hand. Check measurements from your durum flour bag, or use approx. 2,8 dl flour for 2 (medium) eggs, a tbsp olive oil and half tsp salt. This dough is one of those where you need to feel your way through, so exact measures are hard to give. Add flour rather conservatively to begin with, you can always add more but too much ruins the dough. Traditional instructions advise to make the dough on a table but I use a bowl, it's easier to control egg leakage. If you have a gentleman in the house, let him do the kneading, it's hard work! ;)

Measure ingredients in a bowl or on a table. Pour flour in first, make a well in the midde and put eggs, oil and salt in the well.

Mix the wet ingredients into flour working from side to middle.

Dough is ready for kneading. Knead on a table until the surface is smooth and doesnt stick to anything. If its sticky, add little more flour. Kneading takes approx. 6-8 mins.






Now the dough is ready. It should feel firm, not sticky and dry to touch. Cover it with a plastic wrapper or towel and let rest. If you are using a pasta machine, the dough does necessarily not need to rest. You can put it in a fridge too, it'll keep 48 hrs. If you're making the grape sauce below, get down to it now.

Use your pasta machine (or a rolling pin) to roll out pasta. See your machine leaflet for instructions. Here I made the pasta sheet to size 5 with my Atlas pasta machine.

Use the part for making ribbons to make taglioni. Cover the ribbons or put in a freezer if you made extra (when you prepare it, dont thaw just put it in a boiling water).

 

Grape Sauce

This makes for 2 persons. If you have ripe tomatos kicking about, you can put them in too. I usually do this in kind of a rustic way, I let the peels stay in and all. If you want a smoother sauce, you can press it through a sieve but it takes some extra effort.

• 600 gr seedless grapes (and tomatos).
• 2 onions
• 1-2 garlic gloves 
• Olive oil
• Touch of stock concentrate, pinch of salt
• Pepper, basil, small pinch of dried sage
• Grated parmesan to garnish

1. Halve grapes, dice onion and slice garlic. Put olive oil in a pan and saute them on medium heat until the fruit starts to soften and break a little. Then lower temperature, cover with a lid and let simmer lightly. Make the pasta into ribbons now or if you use premade pasta, go browse the net for 20 mins or so, stir occasionally.  Put water to boil for pasta.

2.  When everything is quite a pulp (press thru sieve now if you're feeling fussy), add seasoning. You can lightly press the more whole looking grapes with a wooden utensil and mix to get smoother texture. Let simmer a bit more.

 3. The sauce is ready. Add some oil in boiling water and cook pasta, it should take only a few minutes as the ribbons are so thin. Fish one ribbon out and taste for readiness. It should feel al dente. Mix pasta and sauce.

Garnish and serve!