Uber Umami Fettucine for Sunday Lunch

Umami is my new BFF this week.  Take this pasta –  a maxed-out-5th-taste meal.  I gathered up as many umami rich foods as I could: eggs for the pasta, and bacon, tomatoes, mushroom powder, thyme, red wine, chicken stock and parmesan for the sauce.

Perhaps there is an English translation for umami after all…comfort.

For the fettucine, I made a version of the 7 yolk pasta dough from the French Laundry.  I only used 5 yolks — not to be difficult — just to reduce leftovers.  Howard and I can’t shouldn’t eat a whole recipe’s worth, and I’m not interested in drying 1/4 of a recipe of pasta, know what I mean?

My 5 yolk pasta recipe for 2:

1 1/4 C All-Purpose Flour

4 large Egg Yolks

1 large Egg

2 teaspoons Milk

1 teaspoon Olive Oil

The French Laundry method involves mixing it on the counter and kneading by hand for 15 minutes, which is fun — once — but for those of us with carpal tunnel tendencies, not a practical everyday solution.  (The last time I kneaded  pasta dough by hand I woke up in the middle of the night to find my hands crossed across my chest, burning pins and needles.)

Which is why my method involves putting everything in the Kitchen Aid and letting it go on notch 2 for 10 minutes.

However you do it, your dough ball is ready when it’s silky & smooth, and it springs back after you poke into it with your finger.  Cover it tightly and rest for an hour before you put it through the roller.  Hang the finished noodels over wooden spoon handles (or something like that) to dry for 15 minutes.  Cook in gently boiling well-salted water until al dente (mine took about 3 minutes).

For the sauce, I fried 2 slices of bacon lardons until crisp, then sauteed some onion and chopped tomato in the fat until soft.  Next was some minced garlic, porcini powder and red wine.  I reduced it until almost dry, then added chicken stock and reduced it way, way down so the sauce coated the back of a spoon, then added just enough cream to lighten the colour a little.  I served it garnished with the lardons, parmesan and a pinch of porcini powder.

It was a rich, luxurious meal that satisfied with small(ish) portions.  I think it was my subconscious answer to the recent coming of fall — cold mornings, shorter days and dinner after dark — my favourite season, when we turn from summer salads to warm, savoury bowls of comfort food.  Or should I make that umami?