How to make Fettuccine Paglia e Fieno (Straw and Hay Pasta)

How to make Fettuccine Paglia e Fieno (Straw and Hay Pasta). This colorful pasta combination is an Italian classic. The "yellow" fettuccine, symbolizing the straw, are regular eggs and flour pasta, while the "green" ones, symbolizing the hay, are made adding spinach purée. They are beautiful to look at and delightfully tasty.

Song of the day: Perfetto - Eros Ramazzotti

Fettuccine Paglia e Fieno (Straw and Hay Pasta)

This classic pasta originated in Emilia Romagna, in the North of Italy, between the years 50s and 60s and then spread all over Italy, reaching its popularity in the 1980s. Fettuccine Paglia e Fieno (Straw and Hay Pasta) is a trip for me down memory lane, when my mother used to make it for us always dressed in a cream sauce with ham and peas, and sometimes adding mushrooms.

"Yellow" Pasta Dough

Truly, this is the classic pasta dough recipe to make lasagna, spaghetti, fettuccine, ravioli. It requires only flour (or a mix of flour and durum wheat semolina flour), eggs, and a little water or oil if the dough feels too dry.

You can make the dough in a food processor, in a stand mixer fitted with the hook attachment, or by hand on a work surface (on a wood board is my preferred method). In any case, to make the dough, work flours, eggs (and a touch of water or oil) until you obtain a smooth dough. Then wrap it with cling film and leave it to rest for 30 minutes at room temperature. After the 30 minutes the dough will be rested and the gluten "relaxed", making it easier to stretch.

Make the pasta sheets

Divide the dough into four parts. Leave the dough pieces you are not using wrapped in plastic or under a bowl. With the help of the pasta machine, roll each piece of dough out starting from number 1 (widest thickness) to number 4 (or number 5 if you like a thinner sheet), dusting the sheets with the durum wheat semolina before each roll. Leave the sheets on a floured surface to dry a bit and lightly dust the surface with semolina flour as you change attachment to cut the fettuccine.

At this point, pass the yellow sheets through the pasta machine using the special attachment for fettuccine.

Shape them into a nest, if you wish, dust them with durum wheat semolina flour and let them dry for at least an hour on a floured baking sheet.

"Green" Spinach Dough

Firstly, boil or steam the spinach until soft, place in a sieve over a bowl, and let drain, pressing it really well to remove excess water. Weigh 50 grams of spinach, then purée with an immersion blender or mince very fine with a knife.

Then, work the flours, eggs, and the spinach purée until smooth. Add more flour or semolina in case the dough feels too wet. Shape it into a ball, wrap it in cling film, and let rest for half an hour.

Let's make the "green" sheets

Divide the dough into four parts. Leave the dough pieces you are not using wrapped in plastic or under a bowl. With the help of the pasta machine, roll each piece of dough out starting from number 1 (widest thickness) to number 4 (or number 5 if you like a thinner sheet), dusting the sheets with semolina flour before each roll. Leave the sheets on a floured surface to dry a bit and lightly dust the surface with semolina flour as you change attachment to cut the fettuccine.

Run one green sheet at a time through the pasta machine using the special attachment for fettuccine.
Shape it into a nest, dust with more durum wheat semolina flour and let them dry for at least an hour on a floured baking sheet.

Fettuccine Paglia e Fieno (Straw and Hay Pasta)

Our Fettuccine Paglia e Fieno (Straw and Hay Pasta) are now ready. As usual, I enjoyed making pasta immensely. Hope you will have the same satisfaction as I do.

How to store the fettuccine paglia e fieno

Like all homemade pasta, fettuccine straw and hay can be stored in the refrigerator for 3-4 days in an airtight container, or frozen for up to 3 months. In the latter case, place the nests well spaced on a floured tray, leave them in the freezer for about 3 hours, then transfer them into plastic food bags or an airtight freezer container. When needed, you can boil the fettuccine directly from frozen, increasing the cooking time by a few minutes. You could also dry them and store them in the pantry for up to 3 months. In this case, hang the fettuccine on a drying rack and leave them to dry for 36 to 48 hours, away from heat and in a well-ventilated space.

Sauce suggestions

The most classic sauce for fettuccine paglia e fieno is a white sauce with ham or prosciutto and peas. In alternative, you can choose the ultimate ragu alla Bolognese, a sausage ragu, or a vegetable sauce.

Print