Stars Pappardelle Recipes

STARS PAPPARDELLE

Steps:

• Choose which color of dough you want to be the background color for your stars and roll that dough to the third-thinnest setting on a pasta machine. Lightly dust a work surface with flour and place the pasta sheet on it. Using a star-shaped plunger cutter in any size you prefer, make star cutouts all over the sheet of pasta. I recommend spacing the star cutouts as close together as possible, because the sheet will get re-rolled and the stars will expand (doesn't stars expanding blow your mind?). Cover this sheet with a kitchen towel. If you wish, save the tiny cutout stars to make pastina.
• Roll the second dough on a pasta machine until it is the same size as the sheet with the star cutouts. Uncover the cutout pasta sheet and moisten it slightly with a kitchen brush dipped in water or a damp paper towel. Taking care to cover the cutout sheet precisely, lay the newly rolled sheet over the cutout sheet. Use a rolling pin to sandwich the two sheets together, rolling both lengthwise and crosswise.
• Once you are sure the two sheets are sufficiently pressed together, use a bench scraper to carefully turn the pasta sheet over, revealing the star pattern. You may be able to make nips, tucks, and small adjustments at this point if you notice any bunching up of the pattern. Dust with flour as necessary to prevent sticking.
• Roll the sheet through the pasta machine again, starting on the widest setting. Reduce the rollers to the second-widest setting and roll the opposite end of the sheet through first this time. Alternating the sides of the sheet you put through the pasta machine will ensure that the stars don't skew too much in one direction. Keep reducing the rollers until you've rolled the pasta sheet through the middle thickness on the pasta machine. Your stars will look wide! Don't worry; we're about to fix that.
• Lay the pasta sheet flat on your work surface and cut the whole sheet crosswise in 5-inch widths (or wider, up to the width of your pasta machine rollers). The star pattern has so far been skewed only side to side, making really wide stars, so now we'll run the 5-inch sheets crosswise through the pasta machine, to stretch the stars back toward symmetry.
• Feed the 5-inch widths of pasta through the pasta machine crosswise this time, perpendicular to the direction you had been feeding them through initially. Watch the star pattern and stop sheeting at your desired thinness, depending on how stretched or skewed you want the stars. I suggest stopping at the second-or third-thinnest setting.
• Working with one sheet at a time, cut lengthwise strips 3/4 to 1 inch wide. Hang the noodles to rest on a pasta drying rack, dowel, or the back of a chair and repeat the process with the remaining pasta sheets.
• Let the pappardelle rest for 30 minutes hanging, then gently place them on a parchment-lined and semolina-dusted sheet pan. You can boil them at this point or wait up to 2 hours at room temperature before boiling. If you would like to cook them another day, after they are leathery to the touch and no longer sticky, store the pasta on a sheet pan covered with plastic wrap in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. Increase the cooking time by 1 minute if working with refrigerated pasta.
• Boil in salted water for 2 minutes, drain, dress, and serve immediately.

FRESH PAPPARDELLE

Steps:

• Whisk together both flours and 1 teaspoon salt in a large bowl. Make a well in center; add eggs and 2 tablespoons oil. Using a fork, work flour mixture into wet ingredients, slowly incorporating all flour in bowl to form a sticky dough. Transfer to a lightly floured work surface and knead dough until all bits are incorporated. Continue kneading until very smooth and no longer sticky, adding additional 00 flour as necessary, about 5 minutes. Place an overturned bowl over dough and let stand 1 hour (or wrap in plastic and refrigerate up to overnight; let stand at room temperature 1 hour before using).
• Dust work surface with semolina. Cut dough into 16 pieces. Working with one piece at a time, and keeping the rest covered with plastic wrap, flatten into an oblong shape. Very lightly dust with 00 flour; pass through a pasta machine at its widest setting. Fold in half, rotate 90 degrees, and pass through two more times on same setting to smooth dough and increase elasticity. Adjust machine to next setting and pass pasta dough through twice more, gently supporting it with the palm of your hand as it emerges. Continue to pass through ever-finer settings, once each, ending at second or third to last; dough should be very thin, and you should be able to see the outline of your hand through it, but it should not be translucent. Lay dough flat on an 00 flour-dusted surface, or drape over a pasta rack or backs of chairs, until just tacky, 10 to 15 minutes. Repeat with remaining dough.
• Fold pasta into quarters; cut into 3/4-inch-wide strips. Unfold and drape over rack until almost dry, about 20 minutes. (If not cooking immediately, you can gather several strands and form into a nest shape. Place pasta on a semolina-dusted baking sheet and let dry 24 hours. Store in an airtight container up to 2 weeks.)

PAPPARDELLE WITH CREAMY CHICKEN SAUCE

Steps:

• In a large Dutch oven or heavy pot, heat oil over medium-high. Season chicken with salt and pepper and cook until it releases its juices and is almost cooked through, about 7 minutes. Add onion and cook until translucent, stirring occasionally, about 6 minutes. Add garlic and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Add cream and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to a rapid simmer and cook, stirring occasionally, until sauce is thick enough to coat the back of a spoon, about 15 minutes. Season to taste with salt and pepper.
• Meanwhile, in a large pot of boiling salted water, cook pasta until al dente. Reserve 1 cup pasta water; drain pasta and add to sauce, tossing to combine and adding enough pasta water to create a creamy sauce that coats pasta. Serve immediately.