BLT Tagliatelle at the Champlain Valley Fair

We recently wrapped up a ten-day stretch at the Champlain Valley Fair, a summertime staple in Vermont’s Chittenden County. Our Dairy team and Inn kitchen staff were on site, providing food and agriculture education to the 100,000+ fair visitors.

Members of our Dairy team brought a group of our Brown Swiss herd to give fair-goers the chance to milk a cow and meet the animals that provide us with the milk and cheese we love so much. The Shelburne Explorers 4-H, whose homebase is Shelburne Farms, worked with Shelburne Farms staff to care for the animals and engage with the public. Especially here in suburban Chittenden County, opportunities to experience farms and farming are pretty rare, and we’re excited to offer more of these learning experiences.

Across the midway, Shelburne Farms Inn & Restaurant staff led three cooking demonstrations per day — a fun way of getting out of the kitchen and sharing skills and knowledge with our community. Recipes from Vermont FEED’s New School Cuisine and chef favorites were highlighted throughout the ten days, giving the chefs an opportunity to share the abundant late summer harvest of our Market Garden. Shelburne News covered one such favorite: Chef Tim Fox’s BLT Tagliatelle, which Tim describes as “kind of a spin on a BLT sandwich in pasta form.” Get the recipe below:

BLT Tagliatelle

INGREDIENTS

For the Dough

• 2 cups whole wheat flour
• 2 eggs
• 1/2  tablespoon olive oil
• 1 tablespoon water

For the Sauce

• 4 slices thick cut bacon
• 1 small onion, sliced
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• 1 small head curly endive
• 1 tablespoon butter
• 1 large heirloom tomato

Toppings

• grated Shelburne Farms Clothbound cheddar
• toasted garlic breadcrumbs

DIRECTIONS

1. In a medium mixing bowl, make a well using the flour. Add eggs, oil, and water and slowly incorporate (a fork tends to work best for this). Once the mixture begins to come together, transfer it to a flat surface and continue to knead by hand. The dough has been sufficiently kneaded when you can press your thumb into it, and it releases back within a few seconds. Tightly wrap the ball of dough using cling wrap and allow to rest for 30 minutes. 
2. Roll out the pasta to about ⅛” thick. Thoroughly dust with flour and cut into 12” sheets. Roll up each sheet and cut into ¼” strips to form the tagliatelle.
3. Bring 2 gallons salted water to a boil. When the water is ready, saute the bacon and onion until browned. Add the pasta to the boiling water and stir. While the noodles cool, add the garlic to the bacon and onion mixture, saute for one minute before adding the endive, butter, and tomato. Add a few ounces of the pasta water to create the sauce.
4. When the pasta is cooked, strain and immediately add to the sauce, tossing vigorously to emulsify. Season with fresh cracked black pepper.
5. Serve topped with grated Shelburne Farms Clothbound Cheddar and toasted garlic breadcrumbs.