Pasta Fresca With Mushrooms
In recent years, my trips have started to be more and more focused on workshops and food in general. Those creative cooking, food photography, food styling and food blogging retreats are just an incredible experience and a source of new and useful knowledge. Each time, I come back home with so much new information, inspiration, new techniques and a bunch of tips and secrets that I’m given so generously. I’m so overwhelmed with feelings of love and gratitude for the people I’ve met and the unforgettable experiences that I get to share with them. My suitcases are always filled with overflowing local delicacies, dishes, napkins, props..
Today I’m writing about my recent trip to Rome where I met Saghar Setareh, an amazing Iranian food blogger, photographer and food stylist. I first met her through her successful blog, Lab Noon and later on I had the chance to meet her and spend time with her in various workshops. Saghar is a source of unlimited knowledge and aesthetics when it comes to food photography. I think I will never reach this level of perfection! We spent 4 days together in a private workshop and the experience was unique. Combined with lovely walks around Rome -whenever time allowed- in alleys and little corners that only a local could know. Our day started very early in the morning so that we wouldn’t run behind schedule. We were setting the scene for our next photography session, again and again until late at night, and finished our days with a glass of wine and wonderful dishes, talking about our favorite subject: food!
We spent a whole day in Alice Kiandra’s kitchen space, Latteria Studio. I couldn’t have imagined a better place for our cooking and photography session! I gazed at the most gorgeous space ever! I wish I could copy/paste it in my kitchen! Endless shelves with amazing props, colorful dishes in all shapes and sizes, bowls, utensils, baskets, fabrics, vintage cutlery.. Big wooden tables with cookbooks, notes, flowers, baskets with fruits and vegetables.. Big wooden windows and doors and the most incredible natural light! An open kitchen with a huge kitchen counter in the middle was waiting for us! The setting was just unbelievable! What more could I possibly dream of? I was dancing around ecstatically like a child staring at new, perfect toys, not knowing which one to choose to play with first! That’s how I felt in Alice Kiandra’s heavenly space. Latteria Studio was created to host cooking courses, with an Italian cuisine theme and more. Food photography and food styling courses, like the one I took part in, but also private gatherings. Alice is always the protagonist.
photo credits to Saghar Setareh
photo credits to Saghar Setareh
photo credits to Saghar Setareh
Alice is a Chef and lives in Rome for several years now. She came from Melbourne with her family and confesses that if she wasn’t in Rome, she would be in Chania, Crete. She had fallen in love with the island. Alice feels familiar with anything Greek; One of the biggest Greek communities lives in Melbourne and that’s how she discovered Greek food, Greek words, traditions.. She also loves fish roe! We soon found out that we had so much to talk about. She is a blogger herself and you can find her at Rustica Retro.
While we’re talking, Alice has already started cooking. She’s preparing our lunch which will also be the theme of today’s photography session. Beautiful utensils, colorful sauté carrots, platters with pumpkins.. The colors are just amazing! We have so many things to do so it’s a good thing that our menu is light and vegetarian! Frosted colorful carrots, buttery pumpkin with caramelized onions, rocket salad and a super delicious focaccia.
We’re cooking, styling, taking pictures all day long. The colors, the light, everything is just so beautiful. But the best part is today’s recipe. Pasta Fresca! I couldn’t help but get in on the act! The experience was just wonderful. I must confess that I love cooking so much, more than anything! Photography and blogging are just the means to share my love for cooking. I’m already picturing myself doing everything that I’ve learned in my own kitchen. Making pasta fresca on my own kitchen counter. Pasta is ready and cooked with mushrooms and herbs.
Today was a very creative day. I realized it was about to end and that time had flown by so fast when Saghar said “We’re missing the light, we’re missing the light” as she leaned over the setting with her camera. Indeed the gorgeous natural light pouring in through the windows of Latteria Studio was slowly disappearing. Words can’t describe my feelings at the time. I feel like our hug with Alice said everything.
Ingredients
For the pasta:
400gr Italian 00 flour
4 eggs
For the mushroom sauce:
3 tbsp buttuto (minced celery, onion, carrots, parsley)
60gr butter + 2 tbsp olive oil
Salt, pepper
400gr mushroom (any kind you prefer)
100gr dry mushrooms that you’ve soaked in water, thinly sliced + their water
Minced thyme
Method
General rule: To make pasta we use 1 egg for every 100gr of flour. That’s the measure for a very generous portion.
1. Add the flour in a bowl and make a well in the middle. Add the eggs. With a fork, start slowly mixing the eggs with the flour. When the eggs are absorbed, continue working with the dough with your hands. Since we are going to use a pasta machine, we only need to work with the dough until it softens. When it is ready, cover it and let it soften for 20 minutes.
2. Place your pasta machine on a table and turn the dial to the widest setting. Divide the dough into 4 equal pieces. Keep the pieces that you’re not working with wrapped. Feed your first dough ball through the roller. When it comes out, fold the dough (like an envelope) and feed the dough through the machine again. Repeat 5 times. Turn the dial to the narrowest setting (number 2 if it is from 1-5). Roll the pasta sheet through the machine without folding it. Don’t forget to use semola flour on your pasta sheets. When the first pasta sheet is as thin as you like, set it aside and continue with the rest of the dough balls. When all your pasta sheets are ready, roll them and start cutting with a knife (the size depends on how wide you want your tagliatelle to be).
Remember that you should never wash your pasta machine with water. You can clean it with a dry towel and a brush.
Mushroom sauce:
1. Add butter and olive oil in a pan. Add your buttato and salt. Sauté until the ingredients soften. In high heat, add the fresh and dry mushrooms (after you’ve drained them well and kept their water). Add thyme. Sauté and add a small cup from the mushroom water in the end. Cook until all water is absorbed and your mushrooms are soft and shiny.
2. Boil your tagliatelle for about 3-4 minutes (try them to make sure they’re ready). Add your pasta in the sauce and stir well. Add a bit of the tagliatelle water. Try again, in case it needs more salt and pepper. Serve with parmesan flakes.
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