paglia e fieno (2)

Here are two paglia e fieno alternatives: one very simple and the other more herbed.

The first is Bolognese, and uses tagliolini, the narrower fresh egg pasta.
for the sauce:

• three tablespoons butter
• one cup cream
• two tablespoons freshly grated parmesan

for the pasta:

• one-half pound each of yellow and green tagliolini

cook the pasta in plenty of water (the yellow a little longer than the green) to al dente and drain.

Put the butter, the cream, and a pinch of salt on medium high heat, and cook until the cream is reduced almost half, about two minutes.

Put the tagliolini into the sauce pan with the cream, toss, adding the parmesan. Serve immediately.
semplice e perfetto!

a la Alfredo Viazzi

Alfredo Viazzi was the proprietor of a very popular restaurant in Greenwich Village, Trattoria da Alfredo, and also the author of the cookbook: Alfredo Viazzi's Italian Cooking, published by Random House in 1979. Here is an adaptation of the paglia e fieno he served:

for the sauce:

• 5 tablespoons butter
• one clove of finely chopped garlic
• three-quarter pound sweet Italian sausage, removed from the casing and crumbled
• four leaves of finely chopped fresh basil
• pinch of tarragon
• pinch of oregano
• pinch of thyme
• pinch of nutmeg
• salt and pepper to taste
• one pound fresh mushrooms
• one cup heavy cream
• one-quarter cup freshly grated parmesan

for the pasta:

• one-half pound each green and white tagliarlini

Melt three tablespoons of butter in a separate skillet over medium heat. Add the garlic and cook briefly, until it starts to turn slightly golden. Add the sausage meat and cook for about fifteen minutes, until it is all brown. While cooking the sausage, add the herbs and the nutmeg, stirring frequently. Wash the mushrooms; dry thoroughly; slice fairly thinly, and add to the mixture. Cook an additional ten minutes. Set aside.

Cook the pasta in salted water -- use plenty of water. When almost al dente take off heat and drain.

In a large saute pan, melt two tablespoons of butter, add the cream, cook for one minute. Add the pasta and toss. Then add the sauce mixture, continuing to toss as you add. Cook for about two more minutes, as the sauce thickens. Add the parmesan and the freshly gound pepper. Serve immediately.