Thanks to the nice weather and the pleasant temperature, on Whitmonday, I went hiking with my family to further discover the stunning landscape in the Zurich area. It was a long time since we wanted to reach the top of the Uetliberg mountain and its peak, the Uto Kulm. The peak offers a scenic view over Zurich, the lake and the Alps. I have to admit that the trail up to the top was a bit of a challenge, as it was very steep. As we were hiking to the top, we started to notice that we were surrounded by different species of plants. Among them, we spotted wide clusters of wild garlic, also known as Bear’s garlic, Ail Des Ours or Bärlauch. This plant is widely used throughout Europe due to its blood-purifying properties, and to lower cholesterol.

How could we not have gotten attracted by these fresh leaves? As we started to collect them, we began to wonder how to use this precious mountain plant in an Italian recipe.

(Francesca)

For seasoning

Add the eggs and the wild garlic leaves in a food processor and process until obtaining a cream.

Pour the egg cream in a Kitchen aid bowl, equipped with the dough hook. Add flour and mix until dough just comes together, about 20 seconds. If you don’t have a Kitchen aid, knead with your hands to form a dough.

Remove the dough and knead by hand for 2 minutes. Let it rest at room temperature for about 15-20 minutes, covered with a towel.

Cut dough into 5-6 pieces before processing each piece with a pasta sheet attachment, or with a manual pasta machine, like we did.

Take the first piece of dough, dust it lightly with flour and flatten into a rectangular shape, setting the machine at the widest setting (number 1 – My pasta machine goes from number 1 to number 5). Fold the dough in half and run it through the machine again. We did this three times.

Set the pasta machine at the narrower setting (‌number 2) and proceed as before.

Continue to press the dough until the number 3 setting (which is not the thinner).
Repeat the same procedure for each piece of dough.

If the pasta sheets you have obtained are too long, cut each of them in two and dust each side of the pasta sheet with flour.
Pass the pasta sheet through the tagliatelle setting, holding the pasta with your hand as it comes out of the machine.
If you don’t have the tagliatelle setting, tightly roll each sheet, from the short end. Cut the cylinder into 1 cm wide strips. Unroll the strips and sprinkle with flour.

Let the pasta dry on a floured towel or a wooden floured surface for about 30 minutes.
Boil the pasta in a large pot of salted boiling water, for no more than 5 minutes. Drain and season with melted butter (as much as you prefer) and with a generous handful of grated Parmigiano Reggiano cheese. Toss well to combine the seasoning.