Chestnut maltagliati pasta with creamy mushroom sauce.

Make the pasta dough.

1. Sift both types of flour into a large bowl. Add the eggs, salt and olive oil.
2. Use a fork to beat the eggs and then incorporate them into the flour. Once everything is well mixed together, knead the dough in the bowl until you can form a ‘ball’ that no longer sticks to the sides of the bowl.
3. Turn the dough out onto a flour dusted work surface and knead until it is slightly soft and elastic. Roll the dough into a ball. Wrap it in clingfilm (plastic wrap) and let it rest for 30 minutes.

Make the mushroom sauce.

1. Soak the dried porcini in warm water for at least 30 minutes and defrost the frozen porcini (if using). In the meantime, clean and cut the other mushrooms into quarters, peel and chop the garlic and wash and chop the parsley.
2. Sauté the cremini mushrooms in a mix of heated olive oil and melted butter until they start to reduce and brown slightly. Drain the soaked porcini, chop them into smaller pieces and add to the cremini mushrooms, along with the frozen porcini (if using), garlic and fresh parsley.
3. Once the mushrooms are beginning to caramelize, add salt and pepper to taste and the cream. Continue to stir and cook until the cream has reduced and thickened.

Make the chestnut maltagliati pasta.

1. Cut off about one third of the pasta dough and rewrap the rest so it doesn’t dry out. Flatten the piece of dough with a rolling pin and pass it through your pasta machine to make a rectangular sheet. You don’t want it to be too thin. I used my widest setting which is 7 (in some machines it’s 1) about 3 times, folding the sheet into thirds after the first two times. I then passed it through the next 2 settings (6 and 5). You can also just use a rolling pin.
2. Cut the ready sheet of chestnut pasta dough into rhomboids (or squares) that are about 5-6 cm wide (about 2ins). Place the ready maltagliati (foiade) on a flour dusted tray and repeat with the rest of the dough.

Finish and serve.

1. Put a pot of water on to boil for the pasta. Add salt once it starts to boil and bring to a boil again. Add the chestnut pasta to the boiling water and cook until al dente. Test taste before draining. Remove the pasta from the water using a slotted spoon and add it to the mushroom sauce. I cooked my pasta in two batches to prevent crowding the pan.
2. Over a low heat, gently mix the pasta and mushroom sauce together. Serve with more fresh parsley and grated cheese if required. Vegetarians should use a vegetarian cheese NOT Italian Grana or Parmigiano which are made with animal rennet.