Five Must-Try Old School Pappardelle Dishes to “Gobble Up” (and Why)

Pappardelle, the beautiful, large, broad, flat paste noodles fittingly got their name from the Italian verb,  “pappare”, “to gobble up”. It works for the paste standing up to heavy sauces or for every diners’ reaction.  Architects recognize only the color grey (unless they have to), and I recognize only the paste, Pappardelle,  (unless I have to).

Fresh pappardelle may have fluted edges and are up to an inch wide. Dried egg versions that originate in the region of Tuscany have straight sides.  Tagliatelle, (Emilio-Romano and Marche regions)  a narrower version of Pappardelle and used for lighter sauces (see below) is similar to but a tiny bit thinner than (Roman) fettuccine.

I ask you to try them and decide for yourself.  We follow Pappardelle from north to southern Italy here.

At Osteria Bigoli, Chef-owner Claudio Marchesan’s Braised Short Ribs with Pappardelle are slowly baked in red wine, mushrooms, and tomatoes. Melt-in-your-mouth short ribs hold the sauce with an intense depth of flavor, along with endowing it with a rich, royal dark color.   The wide Pappardelle does its job of “taking on” the sauce so well it becomes a robust partner adding body to it.

That Claudio Marchesan is a native of (northeast) Grado, Italy is one reason for the perfection.  When he attended ENALC, the Professional Cooking School of Rome, he studied with renowned Master Chef Giovanni Caruso, one of the still living prodigies of the one and only “August Escoffier”.   Marcheson himself made California restaurant history (and lots of fans) with Pane e Vino and Prego. 

Osteria Bigoli, 714 Montana Avenue in Santa Monica. Visit the website for hours and menu at bigoliosteria.com

History-making Chef at Osteria Bigoli

Sor Tino and Caffe Roma (and Toscanova and Ago restaurants)are owned by the master chef, Agostino Sciandri.  We met this Tuscan chef at the Q for quality Awards honoring Los Angeles restaurants for maintaining high standards of authenticity.

In writer Darien Morea’s report for us, “Pappardelle Cinghiale (Wild Boar Ragu), with an unctuous, rich, slightly tomatoey sauce includes large pieces of the Boar that had been cooked for hours in the sauce, is the equivalent of a rich man’s Bolognese.  Sor Tino was the first to offer wild boar in Los Angeles in the early 1990’s, now almost an Italian restaurant staple (LocalFoodEater has even down a roundup on this, our favorite dish)

Sor Tino, 908 Barrington Avenue, Brentwood, CA  90049. (310) 442-8466. (//(www.sortinorestaurant.com)

Sor Tino Swings the Pendulum Back to Authentic Italian

Marino Ristorante in East Hollywood on Melrose serves Neapolitan fare.  Now operated by Ciro Marino’s sons, there has always been a Pappardelle Bolognese on the menu, that lists the beef, pork and veal meat sauce cooked for three hours on the stove.

Second Generation Continues Marino Ristorante Legacy in LA

www.marinorestaurant.net.  marino Ristorante, 6001 Melrose Avenue, Los Angeles, CA 90038,(323) 466-881.

Last only because it is the most southern, Celestino’s paste is the star of the Drago family restaurants,  serving classic Sicilian and other Italian regional dishes with a sure hand.  We had been dreaming about the unique Pappardelle on Fabiano e Morelle  (Pappardelle with Pheasant and Morel Mushrooms) as soon as we read about it on the seasonal Holiday Mushroom & Truffle Menu menu at Celestino in Pasadena’s tony south Lake district.

It did not disappoint in taste, texture, and complexity.   And it is only one of the three sections to try of Morel Mushrooms, Porcini Mushrooms and Fresh Truffles from Italy.

The sauce teased every bit of flavor from the bird and perfectly complemented the fantastical mushrooms capped with the distinctive honeycomb appearance of ridges and pits.  They are impossible to cultivate and prized so highly they influence enthusiasts into a madcap hunt for them during the season, no pun intended.  And these are the best, from Italy!

The legendary oldest brother Celestino (pictured above at a charity event honoring him), inspired the Pasadena restaurant of the same name, one that translates into a  gold standard restaurant since Celestino first opened on Beverly Drive a quarter-century ago.  In fact, the inspired, cheery chef is now “Cavaliere Celestino” since the Italian government knighted him a couple of years ago

Celestino Restaurant, 141cLake Street, Pasadena, CA 91101 (626) 705-4006.  //(//(www.celestinopasadena.com)

Celestino Pasadena Upholds Royal Family Pedigree

The Garum Factory explains how the three wide, flat pasta differs ever so slightly: “Tagliatelle and fettuccine pasta appear identical, but are not quite the same, although you can substitute one for the other. Tagliatelle, of the Emigia-Romagna (which includes Bologna) and Marche regions, is usually made fresh, then cooked.  Fettucine, a shade thicker than Tagliatelle, is found more often in Roman cooking.  It may be fresh and often dried. (//thegarumfactory.net/2013/11/29/you-say-tagliatelle-i-say-fettucine/)

For example, Pizzoccheri alla Valtellinese is a dish on the menu at the  Locanda del Lago in Santa Monica. The restaurant specializes in north Italian dishes from the Lake Como area – so northern that they sometimes overlap with bordering (South Tyrol) Austria.    “Wheat Pappardelle” is listed in the ingredients along with Roast Garlic, Savoy Cabbage, Yukon Potato, Creamy Bitto  Cheese and Sage Fondue.  Turns out that  Pizzoccheri is a type of short tagliatelle made with 80% buckwheat flour and 20% wheat flour.

And it turns out that dried and fresh pasta comes in 310 shapes and varieties (over 1300 names),  So I’m mystified why this one is such a favorite of mine. Texture? Is it because it reminds me of a childhood favorite, an Austr0-Hungarian wide noodle dish with sugar and crushed walnuts?  Thai rice noodles?

My own quest for the best pappardelle began only after I (paleo) had a choice of this pasta or a salad entree on a birthday party menu at Lucille’s Trattoria a few years ago.  I loved it. (turns out it is the most popular dish on their menu). Next, I ordered it for my own birthday feast at Locanda Veneta, where this and their charcuterie board remain a lifetime memory. At the moment Locanda has only a Fettucine and a Tagliatelle on the menu!