Joseph Voller, executive chef at Il Nido
 

This Southern Italian—style pasta dough works well with a pasta machine and is closest in texture to the actual mugnaia dough. It doesn’t make one continuous noodle, but it is still delicious. If you don’t want to make your own pasta, Voller recommends using Pasta Faella’s dried mezzanelli for this recipe. If you can’t find cruschi pepper (sweet Italian peppers that have been fried, then dried), you can dry Jimmy Nardello peppers, which are very similar.

By / Photography By | August 03, 2020

Ingredients

SERVINGS: 3 Serving(s)
For the pasta dough:
  • 250 grams 00 flour, preferably an Italian brand such as Caputo or Molino Grassi
  • 250 grams durum wheat semolina flour (a.k.a. rimacinata), preferably an Italian brand such as Caputo or Molino Grassi
  • 220 grams bottled mineral or tap water
  • 2 teaspoons olive oil
  • Pinch of sea salt
For cooking EACH serving of pasta:
  • 3 tablespoons sea or Kosher salt, plus more as needed
  • 3 ounces olive oil
  • 2 tablespoons minced shallot
  • 2 tablespoons thinly sliced garlic, slice paper thin with a knife or mandolin
  • 2 tablespoons crumbled peperoni cruschi
  • 2 teaspoons coarsely chopped Calabrian chile in oil
  • 1/4 cup finely grated Pecorino Romano
  • 1/3 cup minced parsley

Preparation

To make the pasta dough by hand with a bench scraper:
 

On a clean work surface, combine the flours and form them into a mound, then make a well in the center.

Whisk together the water and oil in a medium bowl, then pour this mixture into the middle of the well in your flour mound. Using a fork, begin to incorporate the flour into the liquid. When the dough starts to get pasty, switch to a bench scraper. Using a chopping motion with the bench scraper and turning the dough over onto itself, incorporate all of the flour into the dough. Roll the dough into a ball and knead it, using both hands and pushing down with your body weight. Unlike bread dough that you knead by flattening and folding, you want to keep the ball shape as you push, roll, turn over and repeat for 8 to 10 minutes, until the dough is smooth with a satin finish (It’s hard work!)

To make the pasta dough with an electric stand mixer:
 

Combine all the ingredients in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the dough hook. This dough is very firm and will strain the motor of a non-professional-grade mixer. To keep the mixer bowl from hopping off the stand, use small clamps to clamp the metal side tabs of the bowl on to the arms of the stand. Or stay by the mixer and hold the bowl in place. Mix on low speed for 8 to 10 minutes, until satiny and smooth.

Wrap the dough in plastic wrap or place it in a small bowl with a lid. Let the dough rest at room temperature for 30 minutes.

Following the instructions on your pasta maker and using the widest opening setting, make a thick sheet of pasta. Dust with flour, fold the sheet in half lengthwise, and run it through again. The result will be a longer, more narrow sheet of pasta. Dust with flour and cut with the Tagliatelle cutter to make long, 1/4-inchsquare, udon-like noodles. Pile into nests.

To cook the pasta:
 

In a large pot, combine 5 quarts of water and the 3 tablespoons of sea salt. Bring the water to a full rolling boil over high heat, then add 1/3 of the pasta and cook until it is almost done, about 5 to 6 minutes. Measure out 1-1/4 cups of the pasta water and set it aside, then drain the pasta.

Combine the olive oil, shallot and garlic in a large, room-temperature skillet. Turn heat to medium high and cook, stirring frequently, until the shallot and garlic start to color. Add the cruschi pepper and Calabrian chile to the skillet with 10 ounces of the reserved pasta water. Cook until the water has reduced by half, about 3 to 4 minutes.

Add the cooked pasta to the pan, stir to coat it with the sauce, and cook for 1 minute. Add the Pecorino Romano and parsley, remove the pan from the heat and toss all the ingredients together. If the cheese tightens too much, loosen and moisten the dish by adding a few drops of pasta water. Return to heat and cook briefly until creamy and coated. Taste and season with more salt if needed.

Repeat the above preparation for the other two servings.

Serve immediately.

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Ingredients

SERVINGS: 3 Serving(s)
For the pasta dough:
  • 250 grams 00 flour, preferably an Italian brand such as Caputo or Molino Grassi
  • 250 grams durum wheat semolina flour (a.k.a. rimacinata), preferably an Italian brand such as Caputo or Molino Grassi
  • 220 grams bottled mineral or tap water
  • 2 teaspoons olive oil
  • Pinch of sea salt
For cooking EACH serving of pasta:
  • 3 tablespoons sea or Kosher salt, plus more as needed
  • 3 ounces olive oil
  • 2 tablespoons minced shallot
  • 2 tablespoons thinly sliced garlic, slice paper thin with a knife or mandolin
  • 2 tablespoons crumbled peperoni cruschi
  • 2 teaspoons coarsely chopped Calabrian chile in oil
  • 1/4 cup finely grated Pecorino Romano
  • 1/3 cup minced parsley