Tagliatelle Glossary | Recipes with Tagliatelle

Description
Tagliatelle (from the Italian tagliare, meaning "to cut") are the classic pasta of the Emilia-Romagna region of Italy. Individual pieces of tagliatelle are long, flat ribbons that are similar in shape to fettuccine and are typically about 0.65 cm to 1 cm (0.25 to 0.375 inches) wide. Tagliatelle can be served with a variety of sauces, though the classic is a meat sauce or Bolognese sauce. Tagliolini is another variety of tagliatelle that is long and cylindrical in shape, not long and flat.

Cooked tagliatelle

Fill a large pot with water and bring to a boil. Place the pasta in boiling water for 5-6 minutes, or until they float. Try not to wash them, washed pasta does not absorb the flavor of the sauce and can take away some of the nutritional value of the pasta. Remember to place your favorite sauce in a small pot and heat until it's hot. Take tagliatelle out of boiling water with large slotted spoon and place on plates. Serve with your choice of sauce or stuffings.

How to select
While you can buy commercially made fresh stuffed tagliatelle in the gourmet sections of many supermarkets (a few brand also sell cooked tagliatelle in cans), there are two advantages to making your own. First, you can choose what to put into your stuffing . Second, pastas stuffed with some of the more exotic fillings are practically impossible to find.

Culinary Uses
" Since tagliatelle are generally made as fresh pasta, the texture is porous and rough, making it ideal for thick sauces, generally made with beef, veal, or pork, and occasionally with rabbit, as well as several other less rich (and more vegetarian) options; such as with breadcrumbs and nuts, with eggs and cheese , or simply with tomatoes and basil.
" The tagtialle pasta makes a great aesthetic addition to soups or pasta salads. The sauces you pair with tagliatelle pasta don't have to come from a jar. Making your own pasta sauces can be a lot of fun; an added plus is that you can include the ingredients you prefer. Just a few possibilities include sun dried tomatoes, olives, broccoli, colorful peppers,or cloves of garlic. Adding meat to your pasta dishes can turn it into a great, more hearty meal - you might add sausage, chicken, or meat balls to add even more flavor to the sauce.
" You can also substitute tagliatelle pasta in recipes with other shapes of pasta. The most popular include penne, radiatori, farfalle, also known as bow ties, or conchiglie, which are small shells.
" Stuffings for tagliatelle can be either meat, vegetable, or fish-based, and can include a creamy cheese such as ricotta.

How to store
Store tagliatelle pasta in an airtight container and keep it in a cool dry place.

Health benefits
" The tagliatelle is an excellent source of carbohydrate and if the fillings re chosen carefully can serve as a complete balanced meal in itself.
" Since the pasta are boiled and not fried, they tend to be lower in calories and fats.
" A healthier option would be to prepare pasta from durum wheat( instead of refined flour) , fill them up with greens and beans and serve them with tomato based sauces( avoid cream based sauces or broths).

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