Little Pasta "Grains" (Emilia-Romagna)

Pasta

Ingredients

Egg pasta - 3 recipes

Freshly grated nutmeg (optional)

Meat or vegetable stock 8 cups

Grated parmesan cheese

Prepare the egg pasta and roll it into a large sausage about 2 inches thick. Cut the sausage into slices 1/4 inch thick and spread them out on a floured cloth to dry for about 1/2 hour - the time this takes will depend on the temperature of the room. Then chop the slices into small pieces no bigger than grains of rice. This can be done most easily with a mezzaluna - a crescent shaped chopper with two handles - but failing this, use a sharp knife. Spread the grains out onto a cloth to dry completely. The time will again depend on the surrounding temperature.

When ready to serve, bring a pan of meat or vegetable stock to the boil, add the grains all at once, stirring lightly to ensure that they do not stick together and cook for only a minute or two. When the grains are tender, drain them in a sieve or colander and serve, accompanied by a bowl of grated parmesan.

Serves 6