Maltagliati is Italian for ‘badly cut’, which means there is no pressure to be perfect when hand-cutting these pasta ribbons. Just slash fresh pasta sheets into strips, boil, then toss with a Dijon mustard cream sauce and seared mortadella.* Serve this romantic dish snuggled next to a fresh salad, toasted bread and a bottle of wine for a perfect Valentine’s Day dinner.
Serves: 2
Difficulty: moderate
Prep time: 15 min
Cook time: 10 min
Ingredients
1/2 lb fresh lasagna sheets, cut into rough 1/2″ ribbons
1/3 lb mortadella (available in Kitchen or Specialty Cheese slicing cases), cut to batons (small fingers) **
1 lg shallot, julienned
1 T butter
2 T extra virgin olive oil
1 clove garlic, minced
1/4 c dry white wine (Pinot Gris)
2 T Dijon mustard
1 c heavy cream
1 T ea fresh basil and parsley, roughly chopped
1 c (packed) arugula or baby spinach
pinch of salt and pepper
3 T crushed, toasted pistachios
2 oz Pecorino Toscano, grated (or sub other hard Italian cheese)
Steps
Cook pasta in salted boiling water until al dente, approx. 3 min. Drain and toss lightly with a drizzle of olive oil to keep from sticking until ready to use. Set aside.
Meanwhile, in a large skillet over medium-high heat, cook mortadella and shallots in butter and olive oil until beginning to crisp on all sides, approx. 2 min. Add garlic and cook 30 sec more. Deglaze pan with wine, whisk in mustard, and reduce gently by half. Add cream and herbs and reduce again by half. Add arugula and a pinch of salt and pepper; taste and adjust, as needed. Toss with hot pasta.
Divide between two plates and garnish with pistachios and cheese. Serve with warm toasted bread and a green salad, as desired.
* Mortadella is a beloved Italian pork delicacy used for pastas, appetizers and sandwiches. You’ll find it at your Market Cheese Shop and at the deli counter.
** To make this recipe vegetarian, omit mortadella.
