Matcha Pasta with Lemon Butter Sauce

We went there! Matcha Pasta anyone!? 🍝 😋 We collaborated with the incredible Sarah Ubertaccio, founder of q.b. Cucina, an online shop that specializes in artisanal pasta tools and Italian kitchenware. Look what she created 🤩 Are you drooling because we sure are! 

Yields 3 to 4 servings

INGREDIENTS:

For the matcha pasta:

• 340 grams 00 flour
• 40 grams semola flour
• 4 tsp Matcha Nude 
• 228 grams eggs (about 3 whole eggs, 2 egg yolks)

For the lemon butter sauce:

• 2 teaspoons lemon zest
• 1 tablespoon lemon juice
• 6 tablespoons unsalted butter (substitute dairy free butter if desired)
• 2 ounces (½ cup) Parmesan, finely grated (omit or substitute for dairy free)
• 2 tablespoons finely chopped parsley

HOW TO:

To make the matcha pasta:

1. Make the pasta dough following the method, shown at the bottom of this basic pasta dough recipe (mix the Matcha Nude powder in with the flour).
2. Line 3-4 baking trays with a tea towel or parchment paper. Dust each tray with a little bit of semola flour.
3. Once the pasta dough has rested, divide it into four equal pieces. Remove one piece of dough, wrapping up the remaining pieces in plastic wrap or covering with a bowl to prevent them from drying out. 
4. Take your piece of dough and flatten it out into an oval either with your hands or with a rolling until it’s about ¼-inch thick. Feed the dough through your pasta roller on the widest setting. Fold it over in thirds, similar to a trifold brochure, so that the open edge is the same width as your roller. Then, feed it through the widest setting once more.
5. Continue to roll out the piece of dough through each setting until it’s about1-mm thick (setting 6 on a Marcato Atlas 150 Pasta Machine and on a KitchenAid roller). If you notice the dough is sticking to your roller, sprinkle it with a little bit of flour.
6. Next, cut your sheet of dough into 2 x 1.5-inch rectangles. For decorative edges, use a fluted pasta or pastry cutter. Take a rectangle and fold it into an accordion shape, pinching from the long sides. Firmly squeeze the middle section with your thumb and index finger to seal. At this point, you should have a butterfly, or farfalla, shape! Place the finished farfalle on your prepared baking trays.
7. Continue in this way, shaping all the rectangles and rolling out the remaining dough. 

To make the sauce and cook the pasta: 

1. Zest and juice the lemon, setting aside the zest and juice separately. 
2. Bring a large pot of water to a gentle boil, and add plenty of salt until it is well seasoned. The water should taste a little bit saltier than how you would like your finished pasta to taste. 
3. In a large pan, heat butter on medium heat just until it starts to foam. Turn the heat down to medium-low and add the lemon zest. Stir, simmering slightly to cull the essence of the lemon zest.
4. Add the matcha pasta to the boiling water, stirring so that it does not stick to the bottom of each other. Cook for 3-5 minutes, until the pasta is cooked through but still al dente. You’ll know it’s done when you no longer see white bits of flour upon biting into the pasta.
5. Using a large slotted spoon or spider strainer, transfer the pasta to the butter sauce, keeping the pan on low heat. Add the lemon juice. Gently toss in the butter, adding a little bit of pasta water to loosen up the sauce as needed. Sprinkle on the grated Parmigiano, and stir to combine. Once the sauce has thickened and is glossy, spoon the pasta onto individual serving plates. Top with additional grated parmesan as desired, and freshly chopped parsley.

Recipe and photos by Sarah Ubertaccio, founder of q.b. Cucina, an online shop that specializes in artisanal pasta tools and Italian kitchenware.