Fresh Pasta for the Novice Chef

Marilyn said “Imperfection is beauty, madness is genius and it’s better to be absolutely ridiculous than absolutely boring.”  Maltagliati, poorly cut.  I love the inconsistency; it is approachable and a reflection of each individual pasta maker.  Originally a way to use leftover scraps of dough, maltagliati is now very often made on purpose.  The classically beautiful and more intricate shapes are disgruntled.  Farfalle, forever dressed up in black-tie, grumbles to linguini who is always flaunting his long legs.  The unrest continues until it reaches orecchiette’s little ears.  It is madness!  But also genius in its conservative nature and freedom of expression.  There are no boundaries as to how poorly or improperly you can cut these shapes.  They are the perfect outlet for the first-timer and artist alike.  So I challenge you, whether experienced or not, to give this undefined shape a try and, as Salvador Dali taught, “Have no fear of perfection – you’ll never reach it.”

I’ve executed this recipe with two different types of dough, both misshapen and haphazardly cut.  The first was a basic pasta dough, rolled out and cut with a pastry roller into large diamonds.  The most recent was this farro flour recipe, which has a hearty texture and more substance.  I’d recommend the farro flour, which can be purchased at Storico Fresco on Roswell Road, for a healthy weeknight meal and the former for entertaining.  If you can’t find burrata cheese you can substitute a fresh buffalo mozzarella and, obviously, you could also purchase a fresh pappardelle from the aforementioned neighborhood pastificio if you’re not up to making it from scratch.

Maltagliati with Kale Pesto, Yellow Squash, and Burrata
Author: Squash Blossom Kitchens
Serves: 4 

• ½ cup plus 2 T olive oil, divided
• 2 cloves garlic, sliced
• 1 bunch kale, coarsely chopped
• pinch red pepper flakes (optional)
• ⅓ cup Parmesan cheese, shredded
• ⅓ cup walnuts, toasted
• 1 lb fresh pasta
• 2 yellow squash, sliced length-wise ¼” thick
• 1 ball burrata cheese
• salt & pepper

1. Heat 2 Tablespoons of olive oil in a large saucepan over medium heat. Add sliced garlic and saute until starting to brown. Add kale and red pepper flakes and cook until wilted.
2. Transfer kale to food processor with Parmesan and walnuts. Process for 10 seconds and then gradually stream in olive until blended. Season with salt & pepper.
3. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil and add pasta and squash. Generally fresh pasta cooks in about 3 minutes and will float to top when ready.
4. Toss pasta and squash with pesto to taste. Top with torn burrata.