Sweet tagliatelle is a typical recipe of the Carnival season.
The origins of sweet tagliatelle
Although tagliatelle makes us think of Bologna, I believe that the origin of this recipe may be more Romagnola than Bolognese. Sweet tagliatelle adorns the windows of the city’s best bakeries throughout the Carnival period. But in the collections of Bolognese recipes that are most faithful to tradition, they are not mentioned.
On the contrary, it is instead a recipe often found in Romagna cookbooks.
Moreover, it is a popular preparation in the Ravenna area.
For sure, it is not a very old recipe.
Pellegrino Artusi does not mention the cake, which certainly has a peasant origin, as we understand from the simple ingredients used, and which probably originated in the twentieth century, perhaps even in a period following the end of the Second World War.
I like to think of it as a recipe from the Via Emilia.
How to make sweet tagliatelle
To make these noodles, you do not need meat sauce but sugar to season them.
Fried noodles are a slightly more rustic version of sfrappole or frappe.
In both cases, the base is a thin sheet of pasta dough.
The difference between the two recipes is that in sfrappole, you need to mix the sugar with eggs and flour. In sweet noodles, you sprinkle the sheet of pasta dough with sugar, never powdered sugar, and grated lemon zest. Grandma Sara recommended using lots of lemon zest.
If you prefer, you can change the lemon with an orange scent.
After rolling the pasta dough on itself, the secret is to let it rest for a while. In that way, the sugar and lemon have time to pass fragrance and sweetness to the tagliatelle.
Do not open the nest of tagliatelle or widen the roll. It will open on its own in contact with boiling oil.
Buona cucina, Monica
- You can find on Instagram the reel about sweet tagliatelle.
- If you want to read something about the connection between Bologna and Romagna, find a historical introduction to the recipe for cheese flan, a Bolognese-Romagnola recipe.
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Sweet tagliatelle
Equipment
- cutting board
- Rolling Pin
- brush
- frying pan
Ingredients
Filling
- 100 g of brown or caster sugar
- grated zest of one organic lemon if it is small, use the grated zest of 2 lemons
- 50 g of maple syrup or honey
- 20 g of warm water
Pasta dough
- 200 g of 00 flour
- 2 medium eggs
- 1 pinch of salt
- 30 g of rum or grape or marsala wine
- 1 l of seed oil for frying
Instructions
Filling
- Grate the zest of an organic lemon into the sugar bowl and mix using your fingertips. This way, sugar will absorb the essential oils of the lemon. Set aside.
- Mix honey or maple syrup in a bowl with water and set aside.
Pasta dough
- Place flour on a wooden surface.
- Make a large well with your fist in the center of the flour, and add the eggs, salt, and rum.
- Use a fork to break up the eggs and gradually bring the flour toward the center.
- Mix until large crumbs form. From this point on, work the dough with your hands.
- Work the dough with regular hand motions forabout 10 minutes or until the mixture is smooth and soft but not sticky.
- Form a ball and let the dough rest, even outside the refrigerator, wrapped in plastic wrap, for 30 minutes.
- After resting, roll out a thin sheet with thepasta machine or on the cutting board.
Sweet tagliatelle
- Brush the surface of the pasta sheet with the syrup mixture, evenly distribute the sugar, and roll the sfoglia to make tagliatelle. Then, cut 1 cm wide tagliatelle.
- Bring the oil to the right temperature and fry a few pieces at a time.
- When the dipped part starts to brown, turn them over. During frying, the oil will turn brown. Don't worry, it's the caramel of the tagliatelle.
- The sweet tagliatelle are ready as soon as they turn golden brown.
- If you can, place the ready ones on yellow paper. On kitchen paper, the caramel will stick a little.
- Dip them in sugar. If you have any syrup mixture leftover, brush a few so the sugar will stick better.
- Let cool before serving.
- They will keep fragrant for a few days. Store out of the refrigerator.
