Testaroli

Is it a pancake? Is it a noodle? Is it bread? Testaroli is actually an ancient pasta with origination in the Etruscan civilization of Italy and still popularly made, as Carol and Gino found, in northern Tuscany. Your batter will resemble pancake batter which is traditionally cooked on a testo, a flat terra cotta or cast iron cooking surface and sometimes further cooked in boiling water. This ends up looking like a giant crêpe. Testaroli is commonly served with pesto sauce or a Pecorino, Parmesan, garlic and basil sauce. Carol and Gino had a tomato balsamic sauce with the dish they sampled in the town of Lucca in Tuscany. Here, we give you our rendition of the tomato and balsamic sauce. If you are interested in watching the traditional process here is a great YouTube video. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=62Jl0fKdtxo

For the Testaroli: 3 1/4 cup plain all purpose flour 3 cups (give or take) water salt

For the Sauce: 1 pound cherry or grape tomatoes 1/2 cup balsamic vinegar 1 tsp salt 1 TB olive oil

Sift the flour with a pinch of salt into a bowl and gradually stir in the water to make a smooth batter. Imagine pancake batter.

If you do not have your traditional testo lying around grab a large frying pan with a lid. Pour enough batter in the pan to coat the bottom of the pan. Think crêpe here. Cover and cook on medium-high heat for about 2 minutes on each side.

Remove from pan and place on a plate or cutting board to cut into traditional diamond shapes about 1 1/4 inch
long on each side. Continue until all batter is used up. Set aside.

Now, to make the sauce:

Heat a large skillet over medium-high heat until just before smoking. Add in tomatoes and cook, turning frequently until charred on all sides. Around 3-4 minutes. Pour in the balsamic vinegar and stir until tomatoes are coated. Remove from heat and sprinkle with salt and drizzle with olive oil. Set aside.

Now, finish the testaroli:

Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add the testaroli, bring back to a boil, and cook for only 2 minutes.

Drain and serve immediately with prepared sauce and Bambino Grande