Fresh Pasta with Mushrooms and Smoked Pancetta

In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, add the flour. Turn on the machine and slowly add the eggs and water a little at a time.

Let the mixer run until the dough stops being sandy and clumps together into large crumbs that stick to one another. If the dough remains too powdery after a few minutes, add another splash of water; if it sticks to the sides, add a tiny pinch of flour.

Once the dough comes together, transfer it to a lightly floured work surface and knead by hand. Push it with the palm of your hand and fold it over onto itself until it forms a smooth, elastic ball. This will only take a few minutes.

Cover the ball of dough with an inverted bowl and let it rest for at least 30 minutes at room temperature. This step is crucial: the dough relaxes so the sheet can be rolled out later without shrinking back.

After resting, roll out the pasta. You can do this by hand with a rolling pin on a surface dusted with durum wheat semolina, rolling it out to about 1 mm thick (the sheet should be thin enough to see the shadow of your hand through it).

Dust the pastry sheet generously with flour, fold it inward from opposite sides until they meet, overlap the sections, and cut strips about 8 mm wide to form tagliatelle.

Unroll the resulting coils, shape them into little nests, dust them lightly with flour, and place them on a tray. (Alternatively, you can use an electric or manual pasta machine).

Carefully clean the fresh porcini mushrooms, avoiding washing them under water at all costs: remove excess dirt from the base of the stem with a small knife and wipe caps and stems with a damp cloth.

Cut the mushrooms into regular slices of the ideal thickness for cooking. During this step, set aside 3 or 4 whole stems or larger pieces: they will be your secret ingredient to prepare the velvety mushroom cream.

Take a large pan (at least 28 cm in diameter), and heat half of the extra virgin olive oil along with the butter. Add the diced or strip-cut smoked pancetta and sauté over medium heat until the fat becomes translucent and the edges turn golden.

Add the sliced mushrooms to the pan and turn the heat up high. It’s important to sauté them over high heat: if the heat is too low, the mushrooms will release too much water and end up boiling.

When the vegetation liquid has completely evaporated and the slices are golden on the sides, turn off the heat.

In a smaller pan, heat the remaining olive oil with the garlic clove, letting it brown gently without burning. Add the reserved porcini stems, cut into small pieces, and sauté them over high heat for a few minutes until softened.

Season with a light touch of salt (since the pancetta is already salty) and a grind of pepper. Transfer the cooked stems into an immersion blender cup (leaving the garlic in the small pan) and blend, adding a little warm water at a time, until you get a thick, smooth cream.

Stir this velouté directly into the large pan with the mushrooms and pancetta and mix well.

Boil the fresh tagliatelle in plenty of salted boiling water, being careful not to over-salt. Fresh pasta cooks in just a few minutes: taste a strand and drain it slightly al dente, making sure to reserve a cup of the pasta cooking water.

Transfer the tagliatelle directly into the pan with the sauce, turn the heat back on, and toss the pasta, adding the cooking water a splash at a time.

The released starch will bind with the sauce, creating a spectacular, glossy, and creamy veil.

Turn off the heat, garnish with freshly chopped parsley, and serve the tagliatelle nice and hot!