FETTUCCINE

Pour the flour and nettle powder onto a clean counter top and use your hands to thoroughly mix together.  Gather the mixed flour and nettle into a pile and hollow out a well in the center. Gently add the eggs, olive oil, salt, and first tablespoon of water into the well.

With a fork, gently mix the wet ingredients.  When they are somewhat evenly combined, start pulling small amounts of flour from the inside edge of the well and incorporate it.  Bring more and more flour into the well and mix it with a fork until it is no longer possible to mix with a fork. Next, start combining and kneading the dough with your hands.  It will be a huge mess at first, but the dough will eventually start to pull together into a ball.

Knead the dough for about 5-10 minutes.  If it seems somewhat dry, add water, a tablespoon at a time, and knead it in.  The dough is the right texture if it is smooth and rubbery, like a piece of well-chewed gum. Gather the dough into a ball, wrap it in plastic wrap, and let it rest on the counter for two hours.

Using a pasta machine, roll the dough out thinly and cut into your desired noodle shape.  It helps to cut the ball of dough into four pieces and run them through the machine in batches.  Alternately, roll the nettle pasta dough out as thinly as possible with a rolling pin. Lightly dust both sides with flour, roll it up into a log then cut the log every 1/8″ or so to create long noodles. Use the noodles immediately, cooking them “al dente” in salted boiling water.  Or, dry the noodles over a dowel or long rod (I use ski poles propped between two chairs) until they snap. Then, store in an airtight container.

Heat a pan over medium heat and add sun-dried tomato olive oil and minced garlic. Sauté for approximately 30 seconds and then add the heirloom cherry tomatoes. Sauté for approximately two minutes and then add heavy cream, chili flakes, and salt and pepper to taste. Let it simmer on a very low heat for about 3 minutes. Add the cooked fettuccine and the fresh basil. Top with shaved Parmesan. Serve immediately.