Handmade Atria with Pkhuchkholia and Parsley Sauce

1. 1

   Measure 550 g flour and set aside 25 g for rolling. Mix the remaining 525 g with the 3 egg whites, 120 ml water and 3 g salt. Knead for about 10 minutes until firm and smooth. If dry crumbs will not join the dough, add the remaining water a teaspoon at a time, up to 30 ml, just until the dough holds together; it should remain firm and not sticky.

   15 min

2. 2

   Cover the dough tightly and rest for 30 minutes at room temperature.

   30 min

3. 3

   Blend the washed, dried parsley, 30 ml fresh lime juice, all 50 ml corn oil and 1 g salt into a green sauce. Set aside 2 tablespoons to coat the cheese portions; keep the remaining sauce for the plates.

   10 min

4. 4

   Finely crumble 150 g drained young Imeretian cheese and mash with 50 g drained nadughi. Taste and add up to the remaining 1 g salt if needed. Form 18 small portions, about 11 g each, and gently coat with the reserved 2 tablespoons of parsley sauce. Cover and refrigerate until serving.

   10 min

5. 5

   Divide the rested dough into 6 pieces and keep the unused pieces covered. Roll each piece about 1 mm thick, using the reserved 25 g flour sparingly on the board, rolling pin and dough. Cut into ribbons about 1 cm wide and 5 - 8 cm long. Separate the noodles and keep them loosely covered while you finish rolling.

   25 min

6. 6

   Warm 80 ml milk over low heat. Add 75 g processed cheese, 90 g finely crumbled dambalkhacho and 85 g butter. Stir gently until melted into a sauce; do not boil. Remove the pan from the heat until the noodles are ready.

   10 min

7. 7

   Bring about 4 litres of water to a rolling boil in a large pot. The cheese sauce already supplies salt, so leave this cooking water unsalted.

   15 min

8. 8

   Cook the noodles in 3 batches, stirring gently to separate them. Start tasting after 2 minutes; thin fresh noodles usually need about 2 - 4 minutes per batch, until tender with no raw flour taste. After the first batch, reserve 250 ml of the cooking water. Lift out each cooked batch, let it drain briefly, and fold it into the cheese sauce in the pan off the heat.

   12 min

9. 9

   Set the pan over low heat and gently toss all the noodles with the sauce. Add the reserved cooking water a little at a time, only as much as needed for a loose, glossy coating; you may not need all 250 ml. Heat through gently without boiling the sauce.

   5 min

10. 10

    Divide the remaining parsley sauce among 6 plates. Add the warm sauced noodles and 3 chilled pkhuchkholia portions to each plate. Serve immediately.

    3 min

1 serving ≈ 292 g

Nutrition values are estimates. - means data is unavailable.