Späetzle with chestnut mushrooms

(Späetzle con funghi di castagno)

Serves 6

In Italy, as in Austria and Germany, späetzle are not often served crisp as they are in this recipe. This is, however, a personal preference of mine. Parmigiano Reggiano cheese is another personal touch that gives the dish a distinctive Italian flavour and ties together all the ingredients. This dish is wonderful eaten by itself or as an accompaniment for meat and game.

600 g (1 lb 5 oz) plain (all-purpose) flour

5 x 59 g (2¼ oz) free-range or organic eggs

fine sea salt, to taste

freshly grated nutmeg, to taste

220 ml (7½ fl oz) water

150 g (5½ oz) butter, chopped

extra virgin olive oil, to coat

SPÄETZLE SAUCE

2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

100 g (3½ oz) butter

2 small leeks, chopped

500 g (1 lb 2 oz) chestnut mushrooms (if in Europe, chiodini mushrooms can be used), only the larger ones sliced

fine sea salt, to taste

freshly ground black pepper, to taste, plus extra, to serve

150 ml (5 fl oz) white wine

2 tablespoons finely chopped flat-leaf (Italian) parsley

freshly grated Parmigiano Reggiano cheese, to serve

To make the späetzle, put the flour, eggs, sea salt, nutmeg and water in a large bowl. Whisk until it is completely smooth and there are no lumps. Let the dough rest for 1 hour, beating it from time to time.

Bring a large saucepan of salted water to the boil. Put 2–3 tablespoons of the dough into a potato ricer or späetzle press, if you have one, and push the dough into the water, cutting the pieces off with a sharp knife. They should be about 1–3 cm (½–1¼ inches) in length. As soon as they float to the surface of the water, they are ready. Scoop them out with a slotted spoon and place into a bowl of iced water. Repeat this process for the rest of the späetzle mixture. Strain the späetzle. Lightly coat with a little extra virgin olive oil and refrigerate. The oil will prevent the späetzle noodles from sticking to each other.

To make the sauce, heat the extra virgin olive oil and butter in a frying pan over medium heat. Sauté the leek until softened, then add the mushrooms. Increase the heat to high and sauté vigorously for about 4 minutes. Season the mixture with the sea salt and black pepper. Once the mushrooms are soft, deglaze with the white wine and continue to cook until the wine has evaporated then set aside. In a separate frying pan, heat the 150 g (5½ oz) butter over medium–high heat until foaming and cook the späetzle in batches for a few minutes until crispy. Return all the späetzle to the pan. Add the leek and mushroom mix and the parsley. Serve topped with the freshly grated Parmigiano Reggiano cheese and freshly ground black pepper.