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    Home » How-To

    Fazzoletti: The Handkerchief Pasta

    Published: Jan 7, 2023 Modified: Jan 7, 2023 Author: Alan Bergo

    Jump to Recipe Jump to Video

    One of the more interesting pasta varieties I know, fazzoletti or pasta handkerchiefs are also one of the easiest to make. I used to rely on these for restaurant service since you can make large amounts quickly.

    a pan of fresh pasta with wild boar sauce
    Fazzoletti with wild boar and porcini ragu.

    If you think making fresh pasta is tedious this is great one to try. Today I'll show you how I make them, and walk you through three different traditional recipes they're used in.

    pasta on a tray between towels with a bowl of flour and a knife
    I like to keep fresh pasta sheets floured between towels while I work.

    Origin

    Literally giant squares of pasta, fazzoletti is derived from fazzoletto, the Italian word for handkerchief or face towel. They're also known as mandilli de sea (literally silk handkerchiefs).

    a stack of pasta squares showing different layers
    Some people add flowers or herbs to the dough. This batch has some ramp leaves.

    How to Make

    Make a batch of pasta dough and roll it out as for making lasagna. Make sure to fold the dough over on itself when putting it through the widest setting of the pasta machine. Folding the dough over ensures your pasta sheets will be as wide as possible.

    You can freeze well-floured pasta squares. They'll keep for a month.

    Once the dough is rolled out like a lasagne sheet, you cut it into squares. Any length from 3 to 6 inches is fine. I like to make 4 x 4 squares. Keep in mind the pasta squares will get much larger after you cook them.

    rolled out sheets of pasta with a knife and a bowl of flour
    Roll out your pasta dough, making sure it's as wide as possible.
    cutting pasta sheets into squares
    Cut into 4 x 4 squares.
    cutting pasta into squares
    Trim the squares if you like clean edges.

    Cooking

    These are a versatile pasta and can be used with both heavy and light sauces. Cooking and dressing with a sauce is the tricky part as the large pasta squares are delicate.

    The best tip I have is to remove the sheets with tongs when adding to the pan with the sauce. If you drain them in a colander all at once they may stick together.

    removing a sheet of pasta from a pot
    I like to remove the pasta squares with a spatula or tongs.

    Recipes

    The large size of the squares means you can do lots of things with them. I describe three traditional recipes below. I also walk you through each one in the video.

    Fazzoletti with Ragu

    Fazzoletti can hold a heavy sauce and you can use them with everything from Sunday gravy to ragu Bolognese. In the dish pictured I've dressed them with a sauce of wild boar sausage and dried porcini mushrooms.

    Fazzoletti with wild boar sausage and porcini ragu.

    Fregnacce Abruzzesi

    An obscure pasta from Southern Italy found in Le Marche, Abruzzo, and Lazio (Rome). It's essentially stuffed, baked fazzoletti.

    Raw fazzoletti are stuffed with meat filling and given the lasagna treatment.

    Each pasta square is filled with meat stuffing (typically beef) then topped with tomato sauce and cheese. To finish it's baked golden brown in the same way as lasagna.

    a pan of golden brown baked fazzoletti pasta
    Baked with tomato sauce, mozzarella and parmesan cheese, Fazzoletti Abbruzzesi is like lasagna's hot cousin.

    Mandilli al Pesto

    Lighter than versions with ragu, this pasta with green beans, potatoes and basil pesto is a specialty of Liguria. It's good for the summer when the herb garden is full and fresh vegetables are available.

    pasta in a white bowl with pesto sauce
    Mandilli pasta or mandilli de sea, with pesto, green beans and potatoes

    Other Ideas

    • For a simple first course or primi piatto, serve these "in bianco" or with butter, a splash of pasta water, lemon zest, and grated parmigiano reggiano. My old chef from Rome would make this when guests asked for a children's menu. Servers loved to order it for dinner.
    • Try a light sauce of chopped clams, white wine, butter and herbs.
    • A simple tomato basil sauce or salsa di magro (magro means without meat) with browned butter spooned over the top.
    pasta in a white bowl with pesto sauce
    Print Recipe Pin Recipe
    5 from 1 vote

    Pasta Sqaures with Potatoes and Green Beans (Mandilli al Pesto)

    A traditional recipe from Liguria where fazzoletti are known as mandilli de sea. Fazzoletti al pesto is pasta sheets tossed with a sauce of pesto, potatoes and green beans. It makes a great, light dinner or pasta course.
    Prep Time15 minutes mins
    Cook Time10 minutes mins
    Resting Time30 minutes mins
    Total Time55 minutes mins
    Course: Lunch, Main Course
    Cuisine: Italian
    Keyword: Fazzoletti, Mandilli al Pesto
    Servings: 4 Servings
    Calories: 771kcal
    Author: Alan Bergo
    Cost: 10

    Equipment

    • 1 pasta roller or pasta attachment
    • Stand mixer or rolling pin
    • 10 inch saute pan
    • Mixing bowls

    Ingredients

    Pasta Dough

    • ½ lb 00 flour *see note or all purpose flour *see note
    • 5 large egg yolks
    • 3 Tablespoons water
    • 1 Pinch kosher salt

    Pesto Sauce and Vegetables

    • 2 tablespoons olive oil
    • ½ cup heavy cream
    • ¾ cup homemade pesto of your choice
    • ½ cup pasta water plus more as needed
    • 8 oz Yukon gold potatoes peeled and cut into small cubes
    • 12 oz Green Beans cut into rounds the same size as the potatoes
    • 4 Tablespoons Grated Parmigiano Reggiano (Grana Padano) plus more for serving

    Serving

    • Fresh basil leaves to garnish
    • Fresh lemon zest Grated on a microplane, to taste

    Instructions

    Pasta Dough

    • Add the egg yolks, salt and water to a stand mixer or a food processor. Add the flour and mix with the paddle until the dough just starts to come together, adding a little extra water if needed.
    • Switch to the dough hook and knead for a minute until the dough is smooth and elastic. Remove the dough, wrap in plastic wrap and allow to rest for 30 minutes.
    • Cut the dough into quarters. Working on a floured surface, flatten a quarter of dough with a rolling pin and put through the pasta roller, folding it over on itself once or twice to make sure the sides of the dough are flush with the roller to ensure an even sheet of dough.
    • Roll the dough sheets out to the second to last setting on the pasta machine.
    • Cut the dough into 4 x 4 inch squares and lightly flour them. Keep finished fazzoletti under a towel while you work. I like to flour some of the squares and freeze them in a quart bag for quick meals.

    Pesto Sauce and Vegetables

    • In a pot of salted boiling water you will cook the pasta in, blanch the potatoes until they're tender and taste good to you. Repeat with the green beans, mix the vegetables together and reserve.
    • Heat the oil a large frying pan until hot. Add the potatoes and beans and cook for a minute, then add the cream and half of the pesto and stir. Reduce the sauce for a moment while you cook the pasta.
    • Meanwhile, cook the pasta until al dente (a minute or two) then carefully remove them to the pan with the vegetables. Add aood splash of pasta water, along with the rest of the pesto.
    • Inspect the noodles to make sure they’re not sticking together, spooning the sauce into any undressed parts you find. If the pan threatens to get dry, add another splash of pasta water.
    • Taste the seasoning and adjust for salt and pepper. Add a few scrapes of lemon zest and a dash of lemon juice, toss in a little parmesan, and serve garnished with leaves of fresh basil.

    Video

    Notes

    Variations 

    • Use an interesting pesto you've made. I love stinging nettle pesto with pumpkinseeds and ramp leaf pesto. 
    • Add tomatoes. Preferably sun dried tomatoes, cut into pieces the same size as the potatoes and beans. 
    • Add mushrooms, like fresh porcini or whatever you have available. brown them before adding the potatoes and beans. 

    The Flour 

    OO flour is the best here but you can use all purpose flour too. If you want to be extra traditional use a combination of 25% durum wheat flour (semolina) and OO. 

    Nutrition

    Serving: 6oz | Calories: 771kcal | Carbohydrates: 66g | Protein: 18g | Fat: 49g | Saturated Fat: 15g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 3g | Monounsaturated Fat: 11g | Cholesterol: 178mg | Sodium: 300mg | Potassium: 536mg | Fiber: 6g | Sugar: 6g | Vitamin A: 1500IU | Vitamin C: 22mg | Calcium: 256mg | Iron: 5mg
    « Indian Mushroom Rice
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    Reader Interactions

    Comments

    1. mario belviso

      March 01, 2024 at 10:19 am

      hello, i would like to have your ragu sauce recipe Thank you

      Reply
    5 from 1 vote (1 rating without comment)

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