In the Marche, a perfectly made tagliatella can be a good reason to deviate from the highway and look for the perfect trattoria. Here are five restaurants (and five women) that have made history.
The great Marche tradition of the made pasta at home he lives in many restaurants, but woe to underestimate the patriarchs, indeed, the "matriarchs". that is to say those trattorias and historical places, mostly from the rustic atmosphere, which they have taught, and where women have always been the real protagonists.
How to make tagliatelle
In Marche it is the ancestral dish. The simplest and most substantial food at the same time. One pound of flour for each egg. On the wide wooden "pastry board" a mound of flour is created and a hole is opened in the center with the hands. Whole eggs are poured and a pinch of salt. Then with the tips of the fingers you start to knead starting from the inside of the "fontanella". If you are energetic enough, a few minutes will be enough to create the dough, which will be divided into small loaves and left to rest indoors for at least a quarter of an hour. Now comes the most delicate part, that is, the art of puff pastry, in dialect the "sperna". It consists of creating thin discs of dough, spreading it patiently with a well-floured rolling pin to prevent it from sticking. Wrapping it around the rolling pin is an art. At the end the thickness should be homogeneous, about a couple of millimeters. The tagliatelle are then cut by hand with a long knife and left to dry for a few minutes on a cloth. To cook them you need plenty of water and depending on the thickness it takes from two to five minutes.
Where to eat them
Closed by Carola. Agugliano (AN)
Censored by the Marche Region as a historical place, it has been open since 1880. Also known as Carola, the lady who first brought the custom of handmade pasta, today, Fiorella Vico represents the fifth generation of restaurateurs and her noodles they are also famous outside the region. La Chiusa is located in the municipality of Agugliano (AN). A place in the countryside along the river, crossed by irrigation canals a few years ago. The classic ragù includes a mixture of veal, pork and chicken giblets, or there is that of wild boar, of “papera”, or the white version with ham and peas. Pappardelle, ravioli and tortellini are also handmade. Alternatively there are white and purple potato dumplings. In summer you can eat outside under the pergola and behind the restaurant, the small farm provides organic vegetables to the kitchen.
Ezio, the "King" of Macerata
In terms of Macerata noodles it has its myth. It's called trattoria Da Ezio. Ms. Mirella began working for Ezio in the 1960s, and that's how the era of handmade pasta began, vincisgrassi, ravioli, cappelletti and the inevitable tagliatelle, in fact. Opened in 1957 at the beginning of the central Via Crescimbeni, the trattoria is the point of reference for that "kitchen of the past" that attracts celebrities and tourists in search of rustic atmospheres. Here the noodles are eaten with the traditional Macerata sauce (made with veal from the Marche region) or with duck sauce. If you want to appreciate the taste of pasta the advice is to taste them seasoned only with the extra virgin olive oil that the company produces. Every week at least six hundred eggs are processed in the trattoria. The secret of the success of the Ezio tagliatelle is that each step is done exclusively by hand and the guarantee is the dexterity of the stainless lady Mirella.
The Knight and the secret of the "languid sauce". Camerino (MC)
In Polverina, a hamlet of Camerino, there is the trattoria Il Cavaliere. The restaurant has been open since 1963 and the custodian of the tradition of handmade pasta is Mrs. Gabriela Lamponi. The restaurant is a reference point for the territory and the Moreni family represents the fourth generation of restaurateurs. The pasta, pulled exclusively by hand, is very thin, and by absorbing the sauce it needs a fairly liquid dressing. The secret is in the "double sauce". On the one hand, a traditional ragù is prepared: fine minced beef browned in chopped carrot, celery and onion and cooked in tomato sauce, while in another pot a sauce is cooked with minced bacon, smells, pork bones, of lamb and beef, and always boiled with tomato sauce. This ancient flavor sauce is then combined with the more traditional sauce and left enough liquid. Hence the name "sugo languido". The meat and extra virgin olive oil are of own production. A must also taste of tagliatelle with fresh truffle from the Sibillini mountains.
Maria and tagliatelle with beans. Novilara (PU)
A family recipe that becomes a cult. The trattoria has been open since 1972, when Mrs. Maria Mencarelli decided to leave her business in the grocery store to return to Novilara, her hometown, on the hills between Pesaro and Fano. In the family, tagliatelle were made with bean sauce and today it has become a typical local recipe. The dressing is particularly creamy. The beans are placed in the pot and covered with about four fingers of water. Carrot, celery, onion, tomato paste and pork rind are added and everything is left to simmer for three to four hours. The pasta of tagliatelle is pulled by hand and left deliberately porous to better gather the seasoning. Ms. Maria cooks the sauce personally, as did her mother and her fame has attracted many celebrities, who have gone to the trattoria for noodles with beans.
Tagliatelle and Ginestre in the hills. Belvedere Ostrense (AN)
Open since 1985, it is a hillside restaurant with sea view in Belvedere Ostrense (AN). The noodles are handmade by Chef Roberta Ausili. A traditional dough where the proportions of the ingredients vary according to the season to obtain the right degree of humidity. Durum wheat flours are exclusively local and the ragù is made with mixed meats that also include duck. Stefano Seta runs the restaurant and his passion for hunting means that the ragù is enriched with the aroma of game every now and then. Truffle tagliatelle should also be tasted. The proximity to the sea also makes fish a must, and the perfect sauce is with torches (razor clams). Composed with the same fresh pasta there are also the "agnolotti mushrooms and walnuts", a recipe on the menu from the first day of opening.