Fresh Pasta with Brown Butter & Sage

Fresh pasta dough has three ingredients and one rule: knead longer than you think. At first it looks shaggy and hopeless. Around minute six it suddenly turns smooth and springy. Students always cheer at that moment.

A pasta machine makes rolling easier, but a rolling pin and some elbow grease work fine. Cut it wide for tagliatelle or pappardelle and nobody will notice it isn't perfectly even.

Ingredients

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• 2 cups (300 g) “00” flour or all-purpose flour, plus more for dusting
• 3 large eggs plus 1 egg yolk, room temperature
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• Pinch of fine salt
• 6 tablespoons (85 g) unsalted butter
• 16 fresh sage leaves
• ¾ cup (60 g) finely grated Parmigiano Reggiano, plus shavings to serve
• Kosher salt for the pasta water
• Freshly ground black pepper
• Lemon zest (optional)

Method

1. Mound the flour on a clean counter and make a wide well in the center. Add the eggs, yolk, olive oil and salt to the well.
2. Beat the eggs with a fork, slowly pulling in flour from the inside wall of the well. When it gets too thick for the fork, switch to a bench scraper or your hands.
3. Knead for 8 to 10 minutes, pushing the dough away with the heel of your hand and folding it back. It should be smooth and spring back slowly when poked. If it's sticky, dust with flour; if it cracks, wet your hands.
4. Wrap tightly and rest at room temperature for 30 minutes. This relaxes the gluten so it rolls out without fighting you.
5. Cut the dough into four pieces. Roll each one through a pasta machine, starting at the widest setting and working down to setting 6 (or roll with a pin to about 1/16 inch thick). Dust with flour, fold the sheet loosely and cut into ¼-inch ribbons. Toss with flour and twist into nests.
6. Bring a large pot of water to a boil and salt it well. Meanwhile, melt the butter in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the sage and cook, swirling, until the butter smells nutty and the milk solids turn brown, 4 to 5 minutes. Turn off the heat.
7. Cook the pasta for 2 to 3 minutes, until tender with a slight chew. Scoop out 1 cup of pasta water, then lift the pasta straight into the skillet.
8. Add ½ cup of pasta water and the grated cheese and toss hard over low heat until glossy and creamy, adding more water if it looks dry. Finish with pepper, lemon zest if you like, and cheese shavings.

Kitchen notes