Hi everybody,
Last post we discussed long and thin pastas like spaghetti and linguine. This post we will talk about the long ribbon pasta such as tagliatelle, pappardelle and fettuccine. Fettuccine is probably the most recognized long ribbon pasta and the famous fettuccine alfredo. Interestingly enough, fettuccine alfredo is more of an American dish, and almost completely absent in Italy except for maybe the real tourist places.
The long ribbon pastas are ideal for heavier, rich and meaty sauces because they are typically fresh and are more porous. One of my favorites is Pappardelle al Cinghiale (Wild Boar) and also one of the dishes that you will learn how to cook on our Cooking Under the Tuscan Sun cooking Experience.
There are often questions as to what is the difference between fettuccine and Tagliatelle and the answer is they are really the same. It really just boils down to what region of Italy you are in as to which version of the pasta you will see.
Whenever possible try and make your own pasta, and you will see the difference in taste. When cooking these pastas, as always start with a large pot and do not overcrowd. The pasta should have room to cook so that they do not stick to each other.