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Pappardelle with Lemon, Asparagus and Parmesan with Soft Eggs

Frank Granieri

Pappardelle with Lemon, Asparagus and Parmesan with Soft Eggs

Pappardelle are hand-cut large pasta ribbons traditionally served with creamy or rustic sauces. The pasta’s name comes from the Italian verb ’pappare’ which means “to gobble up.”

By Recipe developed for Sur La Table’s Cooking Classes

Ingredients

Makes 4 servings

    • Fresh Pasta Dough  See below

  • 1 bunch asparagus, trimmed and sliced crosswise at a 45 degree angle

  • 3 tablespoons unsalted butter

  • ½ cup heavy whipping cream

  • 2 tablespoons lemon zest

  • ¼ cup lemon juice

  • ½ teaspoon sea salt, plus more for seasoning

  • 1 recipe Fresh Pasta Dough, rolled and hand-cut into pappardelle See Below

  • ½ cup thinly sliced fresh basil

  • ¼ cup chopped flat-leaf parsley

  • Freshly ground black pepper

  • 4 large eggs, poached

  • ½ cup freshly grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese, plus more for serving

Procedure

  1.  Here is a restaurant trick to make poached eggs in advance. Simply poach your eggs just until the whites are barely set and place directly into an ice bath to stop the cooking process. You can use the same bowl of ice water as the asparagus. When you’re ready to use the eggs, warm through in a simmering pot of water for about a minute and they’re ready to serve. Eggs can be poached and chilled up to 2 days before serving.

  2. In a steamer set over boiling water, cover and steam asparagus until tender, about 3 minutes. Transfer the asparagus to a colander, drain and place in a bowl of ice water to stop the cooking. Set aside.

To cook pasta:

  1. Heat a large pot of water over high heat until boiling. Generously season water with salt.

  2. Add pasta and stir immediately to prevent it from sticking together. Cook until al dente, 2 to 3 minutes.

  3. Reserve about a cup of pasta water and drain pasta through a colander.

To make sauce:

  1. Heat butter and cream in a skillet over medium-low heat until butter is melted.

  2. Stir in the lemon zest, juice and salt.

  3. Add the hot pasta and asparagus to the sauce and cook, gently tossing the pasta until coated with sauce. If the pasta looks dry, add just enough of the reserved pasta water to achieve a saucy consistency.

  4. Add basil and parsley and toss through.

  5. Taste and adjust seasoning with salt and generously season with black pepper.

To serve:

  1. Transfer pasta to 4 warmed pasta bowls and top each portion with a warmed poached egg and generously garnish with grated parmesan.

Fresh Pasta Dough, rolled and hand-cut into pappardelle

  1. Roll out the dough. Place the dough on a lightly floured surface and dust with flour. Starting in the middle, push away from you with a rolling pin, easing up on the pressure as you approach the edge. Continue rolling the dough into a sheet, turning occasionally, until you can see your fingers through the bottom. Let dry about 10 minutes.

  2. Cut the pappardelle. Dust the top of the sheet of dough with flour and loosely roll it into a cylinder. Using a sharp knife, cut into 3/4-inch-wide slices. Unwrap the noodles; dust with semolina and gently toss to separate. Place on a sheet pan and cover with a tea towel until ready to cook (or freeze in freezer bags for up to 2 months).

Fresh Pasta Dough

By Recipe developed for Sur La Table’s Cooking Classes

Ingredients

Makes 4 servings

  • 2½ cups (12½ ounces) “00” flour, plus more for dusting

  • 1 teaspoon kosher salt

  • 4 large eggs

  • 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil

Procedure

  1. Fresh pasta dough is so easy to make, you’ll wonder why you never did before. If you can find Italian “00” flour, use it to make very delicate, yet chewy pasta. If not, bread flour works really well.
  2. To make dough: Place flour and salt in a large mixing bowl and whisk to combine. Make a “well” in the center of the flour mixture and add eggs and oil. Using your fingers, blend the eggs into the flour mixture, stirring the flour in from the sides of the well and working outwards. When the pasta dough is thoroughly mixed, turn it out on a lightly floured work surface. Knead dough until it is smooth and flexible but not sticky, adding small amounts of flour as needed; about 5 minutes. Shape the dough into a ball and flatten into a disk. Cover with plastic wrap and allow to rest for at least 20 minutes or up to an hour at room temperature.