Tajarin is a typical format of homemade fresh pasta from Piedmont. They owe their name to their preparation, as the dough is rolled thin and then cut thin (0.08 inches) with a knife. At first glance, they may look similar to tagliatelle, but the difference lies in the dough. In Piedmont, there’s a real challenge to create the best dough made only with egg yolks and semolina flour. Tradition calls for 30 yolks per 2.2 lbs of flour, but in some restaurants, it goes up to 40!
Tajarin are perfect for being prepared with
- Difficulty: Easy
- Cost: Economical
- Rest time: 30 Minutes
- Preparation time: 10 Minutes
- Portions: 2
- Cooking methods: Boiling
- Cuisine: Italian
- Seasonality: All seasons
- Energy 534.00 (Kcal)
- Carbohydrates 71.13 (g) of which sugars 0.00 (g)
- Proteins 23.16 (g)
- Fat 19.93 (g) of which saturated 8.01 (g)of which unsaturated 11.26 (g)
- Fibers 0.00 (g)
- Sodium 27.80 (mg)
Indicative values for a portion of 150 g processed in an automated way starting from the nutritional information available on the CREA* and FoodData Central** databases. It is not food and / or nutritional advice.
* CREATES Food and Nutrition Research Center: https://www.crea.gov.it/alimenti-e-nutrizione https://www.alimentinutrizione.it ** U.S. Department of Agriculture, Agricultural Research Service. FoodData Central, 2019. https://fdc.nal.usda.gov
Ingredients for 2 people
- 1 2/3 cups remilled durum wheat semolina flour
- 6 egg yolks (120)
Tools
- 1 Bowl
- 1 Wooden board
- 1 Knife
Procedure
You can make the tajarin either by hand or with the help of a pasta machine. It is a very easy format to make. The most “difficult” part is the dough.
As I mentioned, only egg yolks are used for Piedmontese tajarin. So separate the yolks from the egg whites.
With the egg whites, you can follow my recipe and make some delicious homemade meringues!
After separating the egg whites from the yolks, place them in a bowl. Add the remilled durum wheat semolina flour and begin to knead the ingredients well.
This is the most complicated step; the dough might be very hard to work with. If needed, add a teaspoon of water to soften it.
Let it rest wrapped in plastic food wrap for at least 30 minutes.
After the resting time, it’s time to roll out the pasta thin (0.04 inches). You can do this by hand or use the pasta machine (setting 7).
Work the dough until you get a thin and even veil.
Dust the rolled-out pasta with some remilled durum wheat semolina flour so it doesn’t stick and stays dry.
Roll up the fresh pasta into a cylinder to get a long sausage 8-12 inches long and 2-4 inches high. With the help of a sharp knife, cut the roll from right to left at a distance of 0.04-0.08 inches.
Cut the whole roll to make your tajarin. Once cut, pass them in semolina flour so they don’t stick together.
Piedmontese tajarin cook in salted water for 3-4 minutes. Drain and season to taste.
Your tajarin are ready!
