Fuzi with a bacon and garlic sauce

Fresh pasta just has a different feel and tenderness. And with the freedom to shape it as you wish, it adds a textual lift to any pasta dish. I haven't tried shaping pasta before, so the fuzi that I've made here are a little misshapen, but they make for a lovely lunch, especially with a simple bacon garlic sauce. I remember seeing these made in Anthony's Bourdain's fishy feast around Istria, and when dressed with white truffles and cream, they looked delectable. Fresh pasta is typically served up with a thick sugo of chicken and game meats, but I'm not a big fan of heavy meaty sauces for lunch.

I've used smoked bacon in this dish, but it can just as easily be substituted with mushrooms. Also, I rolled and cut these out by hand, and thus they've ended up in a little  varied in size. 

Ingredients

Pasta

• 1 cup whole wheat
• 1 cup semolina or hard wheat flour
• 2 eggs
• Water

Sauce

• 2 rashers of bacon, chopped
• 1/2 cup milk
• 1/2 tsp paprika
• 2 cloves garlic, chopped
• 1/2 tbsp olive oil

Method

Pasta

1. Mix the eggs, wheat and semolina together and add a little water to make a soft dough. Leave aside to rest for 30 minutes.
2. Roll out the dough into a thin sheet and cut out 1-1.5 inch squares.
3. Take one pair of opposing corners of a square and pinch it together, leaving a . An alternate folding style is to cut the square along the diagonal to create two triangle, and pinch the three edges together at the top to create a little cap. 
4. Boil the pasta in salted water till its just cooked. Add a little vegetable oil and rub it into the pasta to keep it from sticking.

Sauce

1. Heat the oil in a pan, and add the bacon. Crispen the bacon and add the garlic. 
2. Keep stirring to prevent the garlic from burning. Cook until the garlic releases its aromatic oil, and add the milk.
3. Reduce the heat, add the paprika and salt to taste. Let the sauce stew for 2-3 minutes to let the flavours meld together.
4. Add the pasta, and toss around. Serve up hot and right off the stove.