'Special' pasta sauce for homemade pasta

[OMGitsnotgood]

We've friends round at the weekend so am going to dust off the pasta machine (mainly to prove to DH it's not the white elephant he said it would be!!)

It'll be tagliatelle - I've previously made ravioli with but won't have the tine for the extra faff on this occasion.

I personally like a 'coating' sauce with fresh pasta but DH likes a lot of sauce. I want something a little darker different to my usual tomato or creamy mushroom sauce (but don't mind 'special' variations on these). Special doesn't necessarily have to be complicated!

No dietary requirements except one of the guests doesn't eat lobster (not that I'd be serving lobster anyway!!)

Yes, I can Google, but I would appreciate tried and tested please.

I like this blog for pasta and sauce recipes, the garlic butter one has caught my eye recently.

Ixtas porcini ragu is brilliant and especially for the speed and effort.

Smoked salmon
Crème fraiche
Dill
Lemon
Pepper

Easy!

I know you said not your usual tomato sauce but have you tried the Marcella Hazan tomato sauce with butter and onion? I could eat that all day every day. Failing that, I like a duck ragu. There's a BBC one but I prefer one from a New York restaurant called Roberta's.

www.seriouseats.com/pappardelle-with-duck-ragu-from-robertas

I use ready confit'd duck legs to save time.

Was just about to suggest the Marcella Hazan sauce too! It’s divine, way more than the sum of its parts. Would be great just with basil and Parmesan.

This recipe is really nice and easily doubled https://www.nigella.com/recipes/pappardelle-with-lamb-ragu

I know you said tagliatelle, but this lasagne is really good https://www.telegraph.co.uk/foodanddrink/recipes/8260465/Vincisgrassi-recipe.html

A rage of some sort works well with this. But if that's a bit taffy based on your time restrictions, I'd do my favourite creamy sausage pasta:

You need 1-2 sausages per person. Remove from the skins in rough balls - no need for super accurate size or shape but you want about 5-7 pieces per sausage. Fry gently in a pan. When browned, add some fennel seeds, some chopped garlic, some chopped chilli (optional), a generous grating of lemon zest and a handful of chopped fresh tomatoes. Fry for another minute or so to ensure everything is fragrant. Then add equal parts milk and white wine and allow to bubble and reduce for about 5-6 minutes. Towards the end, add some frozen peas or fresh spinach. Then stir in some creme fraiche and a squeeze of lemon juice. Serve with lots of black pepper and parmesan.

I make a tarted up mushroom with a mixture of posh mushrooms, cream and a little truffle oil. I might make it tonight now I think about it!

Roast some broccoli and garlic and then mix this and the pasta with Harissa paste and Greek yoghurt. Trust me it’s delicious.

I'd do crab, if that's not too close to lobster: https://www.fiume-restaurant.co.uk/whats-on-fiume-battersea/recipes/crab-and-amalfi-lemon-tagliolini/

@JonVoightBaddyWhoGrowls 's idea of a sausage ragu is a good one! I sometimes prefer a white sausage ragu like this recipe: https://thehappyfoodie.co.uk/recipes/rick-steins-fennel-and-sausage-ragu-with-tagliatelle/

I'm not sure it's quite what you're after, but it's wild garlic season and a wild garlic pesto is lovely.

If you want a heavier sauce, I'd go for a beef ragu, made with a joint slow cooked and pulled.

Homemade pasta doesn't need a fancy sauce, keep it simple and go for big flavour. I highly recommend this lemon pappardelle with nduja, it's got a bit of a kick but is utterly delicious!

This is amazing - absolutely bursting with flavour:
www.deliaonline.com/recipes/international/european/italian-recipes/pasta-puttanesca-tarts-spaghetti?amp

And this is one of our favourites. It's really delicious. thebrookcook.wordpress.com/2018/04/26/creamy-tagliatelle-with-asparagus-herbs/

This is excellent. I make it too often to always use the mascarpone, so i use creme fraiche instead.

But, since you're having friends over, you might want to use it as a special occasion addition.

www.nigella.com/recipes/gemelli-with-anchovies-tomatoes-and-mascarpone

I'd do duck ragu.

Remove the skin from some legs, poach them in the the usual ragu mix for hours, then gently pull apart before serving.

ooh yes!!! I made this one and it was divine, works well with you intended shape too.

I'm going to make a sauce tonight involving thinly sliced mushrooms, spring onions, smoked salmon and cream. If I had fresh herbs it would be a nice addition, or lemon.

I tried the Marcella Hazan tomato sauce, followed the recipe exactly, and it was quite sour so a thumbs down for us. Perhaps not dinner-party worthy but for an everyday supper - put a large bag of young spinach in a casserole dish and scatter with small fresh tomatoes, salt and pepper and a good glug of olive oil and mix. Make a well in the middle and add a whole Boursin cheese (the one with garlic and herbs) and bake gently until toms are very soft. Mix it all up and serve with pasta. Sorry. Can't remember timings!

So many fab ideas, will take a closer look at them all, thank you

Is it for a starter or a main?

I do a lemon and black pepper but it is more of a starter.

Literally just lemon and black pepper.

Squeeze the juice out of a lemon, grate some zest off and add both to the pasta and add a liberal amount of black pepper.

Love this thread.

I do a spicy pasta with onion/shallots and some nduja letter down, then add tinned tomatoes, cream or cream cheese, tomato purer, tsp sugar, ground black pepper and good sprinkling Maldon salt, plus packet of ripped up basil leaves.

Delicious

The nduja is MELTED down, not letter.

I use half a pot of it for four people with leftovers.

Was going to suggest a sausage ragu too- mine is the same method but just sausage meat, LOADS of garlic and fennel seeds (grind up at least a heaped tablespoon of the latter) and just tinned tomatoes. Lots of parmesan on top. Not fancy, but delicious!

I want bloody pasta now!

entirely up to you of course, but if you’re going to the effort of making homemade pasta, would you consider doing pappardelle instead? I just think it’s a more special/decadent pasta shape and is gorgeous when it’s freshly made.

I love parpadelle too @BranchGold but I'd have to hand cut that which adds more time, whilst there's a tagliatelle cutter attachment on the machine.

That said, I think I will try parpadelle when making it for the family when I have more time, hadn't crossed my mind so thanks for the suggestion