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Tagliatelline or Fettuccine

Tagliatelline, and their cousins fettuccine, are fine strands of pasta all'uovo.

From Kyle Phillips, About.com

Tagliatelline, and their cousins fettuccine, are fine strands of pasta all'uovo. They go especially well with creamy or liquid sauces.
Tagliatelline: Finer than tagliatelle, they're also known as fettuccine.

Tagliatelline: Finer than tagliatelle, they're also known as fettuccine.

Tagliatelline are one of the finer members of the tagliatelle family (the line suffix is a diminutive). The sauces tend in to be creamy (as opposed to chunky) and rather liquid, in part because the pasta will absorb some of the liquid during its journey to the table, and not chunky.

The cooking time is brief -- a minute if they're fresh, and 2-3 minutes if they're dried, though you should start checking for doneness sooner.

Substitutions: taglierini, tagliatelle, or fettuccine.

A sauce? Salmon Sauce; this is one of those classic recipes that turns up on Valentine's Day, or in other romantic occasions, often when he is cooking. In this case, for 3-4 people:
  • 10 ounces (250 g) tagliatelline
  • 6 ounces (150 g) smoked salmon, thinly sliced and cut into thin strips
  • A shot of vodka
  • A scallion, finely sliced
  • The juice of half a lemon, strained
  • 3 tablespoons olive oil
  • A small bunch parsley, minced
  • Salt and pepper to taste

Set pasta water to boil, and when it has almost come to a boil prepare the sauce. Heat the oil over a gentle flame in a skillet, and sauté the scallion, taking care lest the mixture burn. Add the salmon and the parsley, stir in the vodka and the lemon juice, season to taste with salt and pepper, and cook over a brisk flame for 4-5 minutes.

In the meantime salt the water, which should be boiling by now, and cook the pasta. Drain it when it's just shy of being done and turn it into the skillet to finish cooking with the sauce. Serve at once, in heated pasta bowls.

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