Fettucine al Caffe

No, this is not some weird modern spin on pasta meant to be enjoyed as a dessert. In fact, the coffee doesn't flavor the pasta much at all. But it does give it a pretty color and texture that is best enjoyed with a hearty mushroom ragu on a chilly afternoon. Take a look how my Mom and I made this dish!

Prepare your favorite pasta dough and add approximately 1 Tablespoon of very finely ground espresso coffee. Don't have a favorite pasta dough recipe? Check out the following:

Mangia Bene Blog at http://www.italianfoodforever.com/
The Second Pancake at http://thesecondpancake.typepad.com/the_second_pancake/2008/08/fresh-pasta.html

Basically, 3 eggs per 2 cups of flour used. No salt. Knead, Rest, Roll. Easy Peasy Lemon Squeezy.

Here is what the dough should look like after kneading and resting:

It should feel elastic and pull back if you stretch a piece away from the ball. Cut it into double fist size portions to roll. Roll each portion through one width at a time on your machine. Two people help the process go smoothly and quickly to keep the dough from drying out.

Lay the dough on tablecloths dusted with flour and cornmeal to keep them from sticking. Cornmeal is especially important when you're working with cut pasta because if the strands stick together, they're very hard and messy to pull apart!



Rolling the dough portions with Imperia machine



It's easier as a 2 person job!



Beautiful fettucine with specks of ground coffee.



Let them dry overnight before storing in plastic ziplock bags.

Fettucine al Caffe con sugo di funghi

Buon Appetito!