Chicken Ragu over Handmade Herb Fettuccine

Preparation

Note: To roast garlic, cut off the top to reveal the tops of the cloves. Drizzle the top with olive oil and a pinch of salt, then wrap in foil. Roast it in a 350ºF oven for 1 hour, then refrigerate and use as needed! It keeps for a long time.

First, start the stew because it has to cook for a long time. Heat the olive oil and lemon juice in a skillet over medium-high heat. Generously season the chicken thighs with salt and pepper on both sides, then brown them in the pan for 4-5 minutes on each side. Remove them to a plate. Add the onion, carrots and roasted garlic and let them flavor for about 5 minutes. Stir in the tomato paste and cook for another minute or two. Then pour in the red wine and cook for a few minutes. Finally, add the diced tomatoes and mix well. Return the chicken to the skillet and add the Parmesan crust. Take the rosemary and bay leaves and tie them into a tight bundle with kitchen twine and submerge them in the sauce as well. Let boil, then cover the pan. Reduce heat to low and cook for 4 hours.

While cooking, you can take your time preparing the pasta. This is a fantastic Sunday dinner project. Form the flour into a large well with sides deep enough to hold the eggs. Break the eggs in the center and also add the salt and the dried herbs. Using a fork, whisk the eggs while incorporating the flour at the same time until a batter begins to form and the eggs do not run. Then use your clean hands to bring everything together into a ball of dough and knead it for 5 minutes to make sure everything is well incorporated. He will start fighting and give you a workout! Wrap the dough in plastic and let it rest for an hour. This allows the gluten to fully relax for tender doughs.

When the hour is up, cut the dough into quarters. Install a stand mixer with the pasta roller attachment. Take the first quarter and use a rolling pin to flatten it enough to pass through the rolling pin. Turn on the roller and set it to 1. Go over the quarter once, then fold it in thirds like an envelope. Unroll it again and iron it to 1. Then set it to 3 and iron it once. It will be very long at this point, so cut the quarter in half. Thread each half to 3 one more time, then adjust to 5. Finally, thread each half to 5. You will now have two long, beautiful leaves. Repeat this process one more time with the remaining quarters of dough for a total of 8 sheets of dough.

Flip the attachment over the fettuccine cutter. Cut each sheet of pastry in half and pass them through the cutter to obtain a nice pile of fettuccine. Sprinkle the pile generously with flour so it doesn’t stick, and toss to make sure it’s lightly coated. Cover the fettuccine with a towel until you are ready to cook it. When the stew is almost cooked, boil a large pot of water for the pasta. Then remove the lid from the stew and use two forks to shred the chicken. It should mostly collapse on its own. Remove the bunch of herbs. Generously salt the boiling water for the pasta, then cook the fettuccine in it for only 2 to 3 minutes, until tender. Reserve 1/3 cup salted, starchy cooking water and stir into the sauce. Then drain the pasta and toss it with the sauce as well. Mix everything well, then serve immediately with more Parmesan cheese on top! Enjoy!