SAVOUR & S I P Picagge THESE PASTA RIBBONS ARE VERY EASY TO MAKE AND FORGIVING, TOO, AS THEY ARE CUT BY HAND. THEY CAN BE SERVED WITH MANY TYPES OF SAUCE, INGREDIENTS For the pasta dough •400g of pasta flour or all-purpose flour, sifted •4 eggs For the mushroom ragu •1 carrot •1 celery stick •1 medium white onion •250g chestnut mushrooms, finely chopped •2 tins of chopped tomatoes (400g each) •Extra virgin olive oil •Fresh thyme sprigs •Salt to taste • Parmesan cheese, grated STEP-BY-STEP GUIDE 1. For the picagge, place the flour in a large bowl and crack the eggs in the middle. Whisk with a fork, slowly incorporating the flour into the eggs until a dough begins to form. At this point, start bringing the dough together BUT AUTUMN AND WINTER DAYS ARE SIMPLY PERFECT FOR MAKING MUSHROOM RAGU
Serves 4
HANGING OUT Make sure to roll your pasta out nice and thin, leaving the ribbons to dry before cooking (around three minutes if you want it al dente)
this point, add the chopped mushrooms and fresh thyme, coat well with the soffritto and cook gently until they have released all their water and are starting to caramelise (add a touch more olive oil if needed). Salt to taste. 4. Add the chopped tomatoes, mix well and cover with a lid; simmer gently until the sauce is quite thick, and don’t forget to stir often to prevent it from burning. If you prefer, you can make the sauce up to two days ahead and keep it in the fridge. The resting time will only improve the taste! 5. Cook the picagge in salted boiling water for three to five minutes (depending on if you want it al dente). Drain and serve with the hot mushroom ragu and parmesan cheese.
with your hands and knead it for ten minutes, or until smooth and elastic. Wrap in cling film and rest for 30 minutes. 2. Roll out the rested dough thinly using a pasta machine (number six should be fine) or a rolling pin, then cut into large strips (3-4cm wide). Don’t worry if each strip is different – that’s the beauty of this pasta shape! Lay the ribbons in a single layer on a floured surface, and let them dry for at least 30 minutes. 3. While the picagge are drying, make the sauce. Chop up the onion, carrot and celery finely and shallow fry in a few tablespoons of olive oil to make a soffritto. Take your time with this step, as you want the soffritto to cook slowly until soft and translucent. At
66 NOVEMBER 2021 CAMBSEDITION.CO.UK
Powered by FlippingBook