Fresh Chive Noodles with Arugula & Fiddlehead Ferns (More variations below)
One Sunday, my 8-year old niece, Sadie, and I popped over to my neighbor Ruth’s place to visit her parrot and chickens and to pick up a dozen fresh eggs. Black and white with deep red beaks, Ruth’s hens pecked grain out of Sadie’s small hands, while the rooster crowed and pranced about. Now that her birds are outside in the Spring, foraging as well as eating locally grown grains, their eggs taste even better, more distinctive, with their rich orange yolks.
At home, we made egg pasta with garden chives, Sadie giggling as the wide flat noodles magically rolled out of my hand-cracked pasta machine. She wolfed down hers tossed with butter and cheese, pronouncing them, “the best pasta ever.” No doubt, her pleasure was enhanced by their back story and a cook’s pride. I tossed mine with fiddleheads and Equinox Farm’s baby arugula for a more adult version, but I liked them both ways equally. See more variations below. Serves about 4, easily halved
The pasta
2 large eggs
About 1-1/3 cups all-purpose flour
1 tablespoon chives
1 tablespoon olive oil, optional
Just to coat
Butter and a grated hard or fresh cheese
Or
Olive oil with a little garlic simmered in it
Early spring things, variations below
1-Add the flour, eggs and chives to the food processor, with the optional olive oil, if you are using it. Pulse JUST until it combines into a ball, but not more. Turn onto lightly floured work surface and knead for about 3-5 minutes, until smooth and elastic, adding a touch of flour if needed only to prevent sticking. Wrap and chill for 30 minutes to 2 hours.
Making the pasta dough with fresh flour and eggs in the food processor
2-Cut dough into 4 equal pieces. Cover each well. Set pasta machine to widest setting. Flatten 1 dough piece into rectangle; run through the machine at the widest setting, adding flour if necessary to prevent sticking. Fold in 3rds, press down with finger tips, and run through again, open side first. Do this 8 times with both pieces.
3- Work with one piece at a time, feeding it through, adjusting machine to narrower settings, and dusting with as little flour as possible to keep from sticking, until you are at the lowest setting. (Or next to lowest if you prefer a more rustic pasta.) Place each sheet on very lightly floured work surface or towel, covered with a cloth. Repeat with remaining pasta pieces.
The rolled out chive egg pasta before it was cut into noodles.
4. Uncover sheets and let stand until slightly dry but still pliable, about 20 minutes. Fit machine with the thick noodle sized cutter and run sheets through, dusting with flour to keep from sticking if needed only. Cut noodles into desired lengths. With lightly floured hands, toss strands to separate; spread out on towels. (If needed, you can let these dry.)
5- Cook pasta in large pot of boiling water that is generously salted enough to taste like sea water. Stir occasionally, until tender, 3 to 5 minutes. Toss with butter and grated hard cheese or fresh cheese, freshly ground pepper, just to coat OR with garlic oil just to coat. Salt and pepper to taste.
Variations —
*Cleaned fiddleheads thrown in during the 1-1/2 minutes of boiling
*Baby arugula tossed with warm noodles to wilt slightly.
*Fresh peas thrown in during the last 30 seconds of boiling.
*Pea variation with chopped crisp bacon or pancetta
* Asparagus tips and diagonally sliced stems added to the boiling pasta. Add fresh lemon juice to the toss.
* Slivered or chopped young braising greens, to the water right before draining the pasta
The chive noodles before they were cooked.
