Pretzel Gemelli, Virginia Ham, Mustard Sauce, and Wild Arugula Flowers

In a high-speed blender, grind pretzels to the consistency of fine flour. Sift pretzel flour into a bowl with 00 flour. Add flours to hopper of pasta extruder fitted with gemelli die. Set machine to knead cycle and slowly drizzle in water. After kneading dough for a couple of minutes, turn off machine and check consistency of dough. Squeeze the dough in your hand. If it compresses and large pieces break away cleanly, without crumbling, then the dough is done. Rest dough 10 minutes to hydrate before extruding gemelli.

In a saucepan over medium-high heat, combine shallots, thyme, bay leaf, and vermouth and reduce by two-thirds. Add heavy cream and reduce by half. Whisk in yellow mustard and season with salt and pepper. Strain through chinois and set aside, keeping warm.

Bring a pot of salted water to a boil. Add Pretzel Gemelli. While pasta is cooking, add Mustard Sauce to saut pan over low heat. When pasta is just shy of al dente, drain, reserving some pasta water, and add to sauce along with a little bit of pasta water. Allow pasta to finish cooking in the sauce and finish with a nob of butter and torn bits of ham. Toss to coat and garnish with remaining ham slices and arugula flowers.