Tagliolini in milk - Ascension Day sweet pasta recipe.
This traditional Italian tagliolini al latte (tagliolini in milk) is an ancient recipe from Basilicata. Also known as tagliolini dell'Ascensione, this is a sweet and creamy dish traditionally prepared for Ascension Day. The fresh egg pasta noodles are cooked directly in hot milk sweetened with sugar, cinnamon and/or lemon zest. You can eat this easy to make sweet pasta warm or cold.
Servings: 6
Calories: 362kcal
Equipment
- 1 deep skillet big enough to cook the pasta in the milk.
- 1 serving dish for pasta to set in.
- 1 lemon zester
Ingredients
- 1 pound fresh tagliolini pasta
- 1.5 pints fresh whole cow's milk or sheep's milk
- 1 organic unwaxed lemon about 2 teaspoons of zest.
- 1 tablespoon cinnamon powder (flat tablespoon)
- 1-2 tablespoons brown sugar
- 1 pinch salt
Instructions
- Heat the milk with sugar, cinnamon, lemon zest and a pinch of salt until it’s almost boiling.
- Add the fresh pasta to the hot milk mixture and cook over a low to medium heat for 5-7minutes until the pasta is ready and the sauce thickens. It’s best to keep stirring and mixing the pasta so it cooks evenly.
- Remove the pan from the heat and transfer the tagliolini in milk to a deep round oval, or rectangular pie or serving dish. Sprinkle with a little more cinnamon powder and lemon zest.
- Allow the tagliolini in milk to cool for about 30 minutes and then serve in portions whilst slightly warm or refrigerate for later. I left my dish in the fridge for a couple of hours.
Notes
This ancient sweet pasta recipe is traditionally cooked with homemade tagliolini. However, I used ready made store bought fresh tagliolini, available for sale in my local pasta shop. To make your own tagliolini follow the instructions for tagliatelle but cut the ribbons to 1/10th to ⅛th of an inch (2-3 mm)
You can use white or brown sugar depending on your taste. Also, the amount of sugar also depends on personal taste. Check the milk before adding the pasta to it. If you prefer it sweeter, add more sugar. In some recipes, they use honey instead of sugar.
Lemons: The amount of lemon zest also depends on personal preferences. I added about 2 teaspoons. Don’t forget to use lemons with edible peel. In other words, unwaxed and organic lemons.
Cinnamon powder: Depending on how much cinnamon flavor you prefer, you can increase the amount of cinnamon powder.
Nutrition
Calories: 362kcal | Carbohydrates: 65g | Protein: 14g | Fat: 5g | Saturated Fat: 2g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 14mg | Sodium: 57mg | Potassium: 355mg | Fiber: 3g | Sugar: 10g | Vitamin A: 196IU | Vitamin C: 0.5mg | Calcium: 177mg | Iron: 1mg