Fazzoletti Pasta

by Michele Romano

You can serve your fazzoletti pasta easily with garlic infused olive oil and parmiagiano regiano. Here, I use a yummy zucchini-marjoram sauce instead, that is flavourful and likeable, just like the handkerchief pasta- fazzoletti itself.


Fazzoletti Pasta with Zucchini-Marjoram Sauce

Ingredients for 6 servings:

• 1 quantity of fresh pasta dough made with 2 eggs

• 4 quarts (4 liters) boiling water with 2 tbsp kosher or sea salt for cooking

For the sauce:

• 2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil

• 1 garlic clove, sliced

• 12oz (340g) zucchini, quartered lengthwise and thinly sliced

• 1/2 tsp chopped marjoram

• 1/2 cup peeled, seeded, and diced tomato

• 1/2 cup chicken stock, or more as needed

To finish:

• 1 cup all-purpose flour for the cookie sheets

• 4 tbsp butter

• 1/3 cup water

• Fresh shavings of Parmesan- Parmigiano Reggiano


Preparation:

• To make the sauce, put the oil and garlic in a large, straight-sided skillet. Cook over low heat until the garlic is soft but not browned, 2-3 minutes. Raise the heat to high and add the zucchini, marjoram, tomato, and some salt and pepper. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the zucchini have softened somewhat. Add the chicken stock and cook for 4-5 minutes longer.

• Transfer the zucchini mixture to a food processor and pulse until smooth, but not too finely pureed. Return the puree to the skillet and warm it through over medium heat, stirring constantly. Adjust the consistency to your taste (by adding more stock or water if it seems too thick) and check the seasoning. Set aside.


• Dust two cookie sheets with the flour. Stretch the pasta dough to not quite paper-thin if you are doing it by hand, or to within one notch of the finest if using a machine. Let dry, then cut into twelve 5in (12cm) squares (fazzoletti) and place in a single layer on the floured sheets.

• Combine the butter, water, 1/2 tsp salt, and a pinch of pepper in a very large skillet. Bring to a boil to melt the butter, then swirl the ingredients to combine. Remove from the heat.

• Cook the fazzoletti in the boiling salted water until tender, about 2 minutes. Return the zucchini-marjoram sauce to a simmer. Drain the fazzoletti and immediately add them to the butter mixture in the skillet. Place it on medium heat and toss the fazzoletti gently to coat with the seasoned butter.

• Spoon the zucchini sauce onto the serving plates and spread the sauce to cover the bottom. Using tongs, place two fazzoletti on top of each pool of sauce, draping the pasta so that it looks like a handkerchief. Sprinkle with Parmesan shavings and freshly ground black pepper, then serve.