Seventeen years ago we were running a restaurant on Martha's Vineyard. We made a ton of pappardelle, each month saw a new pappardelle dish. Ten years ago we made smoked pasta with hickory smoke powder. Seven years ago, in Ideas in Food: Great Recipes and Why They Work, we published a refined smoked pasta recipe, where we smoked the flour for the noodles. These experiences came together in the kitchen today in a pasta workshop. We did not have time to smoke the semolina. Instead we added liquid smoke in the Ideas in Food recipe, replacing 10 grams of the milk with 10 grams of liquid smoke.
We vacuum sealed the dough, a technique we developed years ago, and then refrigerated the dough until we were ready to roll. The next day we let the dough come to room temperature and made pappardelle for dinner. The noodles were toothsome and tender, with a rich smoky flavor that complemented the brisket, beef broth and sweet vidalia onions that we used to dress the noodles. They would have been equally good with butter and cheese and perhaps a few fried eggs. Come to think of it, that sounds like the perfect way to use up the remaining noodles for breakfast tomorrow.
Years Past
Ideas in Food: Great Recipes and Why They Work
Maximum Flavor: Recipes That Will Change the Way You Cook
Gluten Free Flour Power: Bringing Your Favorite Foods Back to the Table
