All Posts By: NANCY DeLUCIA REAL

Tagliatelle is a type of pasta rooted in the tradition of Italy’s northern region of Emilia Romagna. The term “tagliatelle” means “to cut”. After this pasta is cut into ¼-inch thick ribbons, it is cooked and combined with your favorite sauce.

In Italy, the women who taught me to make this truly spoiled me. I mean, I make and eat homemade pasta exclusively. Enjoy these divine tagliatelle, and your pasta palate will change forever.

Prep time: 55 to 60 minutes
Serves: 4

Ingredients:
2 cups unbleached, all-purpose flour
1/3 cup durum wheat semolina
4 large eggs

1. In an 8-quart glass or porcelain mixing bowl, stir to combine the flour and semolina. Make a well in the center of flour mixture. Add eggs to the well and beat with a fork. Gradually stir the flour mixture from the sides of the well into the eggs until almost all the flour is absorbed.

2. Using your hands, knead the dough in the bowl until it is smooth and elastic. Transfer the dough onto a floured surface and cover it with an inverted bowl; let it rest 10 minutes.

3. After 10 minutes, cut off 1/4 of the pasta dough and cover the remaining portion (it will be cut into 3 more pieces later).

4. Using slightly floured hands, pat the pasta dough to a ½-inch thickness.

5. With the pasta machine dial on Setting No. 1, slightly push the blob of pasta into the rollers while turning the handle. Stretch out the pasta.

6. Fold the pasta in in thirds; lightly flour the pasta.

7. On Setting No. 2*, roll out the pasta. Fold the dough in half and lightly flour it.

8. On Setting No. 3, roll out the pasta and lightly flour it.

9. On Setting No. 4, roll out the pasta and lightly flour it.

10. Lay the pasta sheet on work surface and, with a pasta wheel, cut the pasta crosswise into 2 or 3 pieces (6 to 8 inches long). Lightly flour the pasta sheet.

11. On Setting No. 5, roll out the pasta. Lay it out on lightly floured, flat surface to dry. Continue rolling instructions with remaining pasta dough, breaking off a piece three more times.

12. As you work with remaining pasta, flip over the previous pieces that have been laid out to dry and lightly dust them with flour. This will speed up the drying process.

13. After all the pasta has been laid out, take the first pieces you worked with and roll them through the ¼-inch wide “tagliatelle” cutter. Place them on a lightly floured surface to dry. Repeat the cutting process until all the pasta has been cut into tagliatelle. Lightly flour the tagliatelle, gently picking them up and arranging them to dry in wavy shapes on a flat surface with some spacing in between the pieces.

14. Meanwhile, prepare your favorite sauce and bring a 6-quart pot of water to boil. Add the tagliatelle to the boiling water with 1-1/2 teaspoons salt and cook 5 to 7 minutes.

15. Drain the cooked tagliatelle in a colander and then transfer them to a large serving bowl. Add 2 to 3 ladles of sauce, gently toss.

16. Divide the tagliatelle among four pasta dishes. Place a bowl of grated Parmigiano Reggiano cheese on table for your guests.

Serve with your favorite red or white wine.

*As the setting number of the rollers increases, the opening becomes narrower in order to stretch the pasta sheets.

Text and Photograph ©2012 Nancy DeLucia Real

Traditionally, I’ve enjoyed tomatoes sliced and tossed with onions, olive oil and basil.

But recently, I tweaked this tomato salad from Southern Italy by adding walnuts. When I served it to guests, it was a hit. And now, I’m sharing it with all of you – enjoy.

Prep time: 10 minutes
Serves: 4

Ingredients:
4 large, vine-ripened tomatoes, sliced into 1/4-inch thick rounds
1/2 red onion, thinly sliced
Salt and ground black pepper, to taste
2 to 3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
1/3 cup chopped, freshly shelled walnuts
4 large, fresh basil leaves, cut in slivers with cooking shears

1. Slice tomatoes in 1/4-inch thick circles.

2. Arrange the tomatoes in overlapping circles on a platter.

3. Scatter the red onion slices over top of tomatoes, followed by salt and pepper.

4. Drizzle the olive oil over tomato salad, followed by a sprinkle of walnuts and slivered basil.

Serve immediately with ciabatta bread (Italian slipper bread) or focaccia.

This salad can also be served as a side dish to meat, fish or poultry.

Text and Photograph ©2012 Nancy DeLucia Real.

What fruit are you enjoying these days? Mmm, that’s what I thought – plums. If you’re buying them from your local farmers’ market, then you’re getting fresh, ripe plums. And, they’re sweet!

For an easy dessert this summer, make or buy pie pastry, slice up those plums, sprinkle them lightly with sugar et voilà. It’s fast, fresh and everyone will go, “Wowwww, how beautiful!”
Nancy’s Easy Pie Pastry* (recipe previously posted on this website)

Prep time: 30 minutes
Bake time: 30 to 40 minutes
Makes: One 9-inch tart

Ingredients:
ready-made pie pastry
3 to 4 fresh, ripe plums, sliced into 1/4-inch thick slices
2 tablespoons granulated sugar, for sprinkling

1. Preheat oven to 425°F.

2. Follow the rolling-out instructions for one sheet of pie pastry and transfer it to a large cookie sheet.

3. Lay out the plum slices in concentric circles and sprinkle sugar over them.

4. Turn the pastry edges inward, over the plums.

5. Cover the pastry edges with one-inch thick aluminum foil sheets.

6. Place tart on a rack positioned in center of oven and bake 30 to 40 minutes or until plums are tender and slightly bubble.

7. Remove foil strips for last 5 minutes of baking. Cool on cookie sheet set on counter.

8. Serve warm or cold, topped with vanilla ice cream or frozen yogurt.

Text and Photograph ©2012 Nancy DeLucia Real.

*Note: Fast and Fresh Plum Tart requires one rolled-out pie pastry.

Alternatively, use  Nancy’s Healthy Pie Pastry (found in our Recipes, under Pastry for Sweet & Savory Pies) which yields two pastry sheets. You can make half the pastry recipe – it will yield one pastry sheet.

The light, flaky texture of this pie crust/tart recipe is due to a high quality oil that I use. Omitting the heavy butter and/or hydrogenated fats, I make my pastry with sunflower or safflower oil. Use this healthy pastry for sweet pies and fruit tarts, or savory quiches and vegetable tarts.

Prep time: 30 to 45 minutes
Makes: Pastry for One 2-Crusted Pie or Tart

Ingredients:
2-2/3 cups all-purpose, unbleached flour
1 teaspoon salt
3/4 cup sunflower or safflower oil
4 to 5 tablespoons cold water
Three 2-inch wide aluminum foil strips (to place over pastry edges during baking)

1. In a 4-quart mixing bowl, combine the flour and salt. Add the oil and, with a pastry cutter, mix until flour and oil combine to form pea-sized clusters. Add water, 1 tablespoon at a time; mix until dough amalgamates and sides of bowl are clean. If needed, add 1 more tablespoon water.

2. Gather dough with hands; separate into two equal balls. Cover each dough ball in plastic wrap and place in freezer for 10 to 12 minutes.

3. Meanwhile, prepare a fruit filling of your choice and set aside.

4. Transfer one dough ball from the freezer to the refrigerator. Unwrap the second dough ball and, on a flat, floured surface, flatten it to a 5-inch circle.

5. Place the pastry dough circle in between two lightly-floured, 15-inch long waxed paper sheets.

6. Using a rolling pin, roll out the pastry from the center and outwards. After two to three rolling motions, peel off the top waxed paper sheet and lightly flour the pastry dough. Replace the waxed paper sheet over the pastry dough.

7. With one hand over the top sheet and the other underneath the bottom sheet, quickly flip the dough over. Remove the second waxed paper sheet and lightly flour the pastry dough. Cover it with the waxed paper sheet again.

8. Continue rolling and flouring the pastry dough until it is 3 inches larger than the diameter of the pie plate edges. To measure this, lightly hold the pie plate upside down over the rolled-out pastry.

9. Remove the top waxed paper sheet from the rolled-out pastry pastry dough. With one hand underneath the bottom waxed paper sheet and the
other hand over the pastry surface, make a quick flip onto the pie plate.

10. Gently and slowly peel off the remaining waxed paper sheet from the pastry dough. Carefully fit the pastry dough into pie plate edges. Using a fork, poke random holes in the pastry dough; set aside.

11. Repeat above rolling instructions with the second pastry dough. After rolling it out, keep the pastry dough inside paper sheets and set aside.

12. In the meantime, gently transfer the fruit filling onto the rolled-out pastry dough set in pie plate. Carefully flip second pastry dough over filling; peel off the waxed paper sheet.

13. Trim the pastry to a one-inch overhang. Turn and tuck the pastry edges underneath. With fingers, crimp or pinch the edges, creating fluted shapes. Cover fluted pastry edges with aluminum foil strips.

14. Follow baking instructions for the pie recipe you are making.

*Note: To make a one-crust pie, make a half-recipe by using “half” the ingredients.

Text and Photograph ©2012 Nancy DeLucia Real

At poolside this summer, bring your temperature down with this refreshing melon cooler. Blended in minutes, the drink is laced with that wonderful south-of-the border specialty – Tequila.

While swimming, tanning or just lounging around, our Melon-Tequila Cooler will make you feel relaxed in no time.

Prep time: 3 minutes
Serves: 2

Ingredients:
1-1/2 cups cut-up cantaloup melon (cut in 1-inch pieces)
2 to 3 shots Tequila
3-1/2 cups ice cubes
2 tablespoons granulated sugar (optional)
1 lime, sliced (for garnish)
2 sprigs mint leaves (for garnish)

1. In a blender, mix together the melon and Tequila shots.

2. Add 2 cups ice cubes and pulse-blend until slushy.

3. Add 1-1/2 cups more ice cubes and pulse-blend once more. Adjust Tequila level and add sugar, if desired.

4. Divide the drink among two tall glasses and garnish with lime slices and sprigs of mint.

Text and Photograph ©2012 Nancy DeLucia Real.