Making fresh pasta can be a daunting task and one I have to admit I was a bit intimidated about tackling several years ago.  Luckily, though, it really isn’t very difficult and, like bread making, can be a very hand-on and rewarding experience.  Unfortunately, like bread making, there is also a bit of an art to making pasta and recipes for the dough can be a little off each time…a little too dry or too wet, etc.  Over time, you develop a sense for those sorts of variances and can adjust.  So, if you haven’t attempted making pasta before, it may take a few attempts for you to really get the hang of it.  Otherwise, it’s a very simple process usually involving a dough with just a couple of ingredients.

When my wife and I visited Italy recently, there were chestnuts everywhere.  Roasting on the street during festivals, the smell was pretty incredible.  Chestnut flour, though not commonly found or used here in the US, is pretty regularly used in Italy.  The chestnuts, dried and ground, flavor the pasta with a deep nutty and earthy flavor.  The moment you crack open the chestnut flour the smell envelops you. The darker flour it creates also colors the pasta in a unique way when compared to pastas made with semolina or white flours.

Chestnut pasta can be used in a variety of ways but classically it’s paired with mushrooms as the nutty earthiness of the pasta is enhanced by the earthiness of the mushrooms.  The light cream sauce helps cut through some of the overpowering earthiness to bring a nice balance of flavor.  Here, I used both dried (porcini) and fresh (crimini) mushrooms.  Feel free to use all fresh or all dried or a combination of both.  Also, fresh peas and other fresh vegetables are great to add to the mix.  However, given the unique flavor of the chestnut pasta itself, I think everyone owes it to themselves to make a simple dish at first with just a few flavors and ingredients so that you can really savor the flavor and texture of this pasta and allow it to stand on its own.  From there, go where your imagination takes you!  Recipe and notes follow after the jump… Continue reading →