Tonnarelli Pasta

1. Working in small batches, cut a small piece of the prepared pasta dough. Roll incrementally, reducing the thickness to about 1/16” thick. Cut the sheets into roughly 11” lengths.
2. Allow the surface of the sheets to dry slightly on the surface for about 5 minutes, then turn over and dry the other surface. This will help prevent the noodles from sticking when they are cut.
3. Cut the noodles into long strands using either the spaghetti attachment on your pasta machine or by pressing through a chitarra.
4. Lightly dust the rolled pasta with Cup4Cup Multipurpose Flour, then set the strands on a parchment-lined baking sheet. You may choose to keep the pasta in long strands or twist them into nests (the nest shape will facilitate freezer storage if you choose to do so).
5. Any unused pasta can be placed in plastic zipper bags and stored frozen. Cook from frozen to avoid sticking and clumping from condensation.

Tonarelli pasta with pesto and tomatoes

1. Preheat an oven or broiler to 500ºF.
2. Bring a large pasta pot or stock pot of water to a boil and season moderately with salt.
3. Starting with the pesto, blanch the basil and parsley leaves for about 10-15 seconds, then remove them using a skimmer or slotted spoon. Transfer them to an ice bath to chill and reduce the pasta pot to a low simmer.
4. Remove the leaves from the ice bath and squeeze out the excess water.
5. Chop the blanched herbs and place them into a blender jar with olives, garlic, pine nuts, grated parmesan, salt and olive oil. Blend until the pesto is relatively smooth and bright green. Transfer to a storage container.
6. To cut the zucchini, leave the peel on and cut strips 1/8″ deep without cutting into the seeded core. Next, julienne the zucchini on a bias into matchsticks about 1.5”-2” long. A mandoline can be used for this as well.
7. Place the tomatoes on a baking sheet and roast them under the broiler for about a minute or just until the skin splits and lightly caramelizes. Remove them from the oven then lightly dress with a drizzle of olive oil and a sprinkle of salt. Set aside.
8. Return the pasta water to a boil.
9. Ladle about 4 ounces (½ cup) of the pasta water into a large (13”-14”) sauté pan. Whisk a generous ½ cup of the pesto into the pasta water. Bring the sauce just to a simmer.
10. Add the tonnarelli pasta to the boiling water and cook for about 90 seconds or until your desired doneness. Add the julienned zucchini and cook for another 10-15 seconds.
11. Drain the pasta then transfer to the sauté pan with the pesto.
12. Toss well in the sauce. You may adjust the intensity and consistency by adding more pesto or water. The pasta should be generously coated in sauce but not swimming in it.
13. Use a meat fork or tongs to twist the pasta into individual portions and transfer them to the serving bowls. Spoon any residual pesto over the top of the pasta.
14. Garnish with the blistered tomatoes, a sprinkling of the toasted pine nuts and freshly grated parmesan cheese.
15. Any remaining pesto can be refrigerated for later use or frozen.