A bit of a long-winded title but seriously, all the elements that go together in this dish deserve as much credit as each other.

My mum would always use Marsala in cooking, particularly in pasta and risotto dishes, and despite having no idea what it was, or that it even existed (nothing to do with Garam masala), I knew that every dish I tasted that had a splash of Marsala added was just that little bit tastier. This fortified Italian cooking wine, combined with salty pancetta and meaty mushrooms and chestnuts make the perfect combination. You can buy it from Italian delis or online. You should also try to use deli-style thick pancetta rather than the super finely cut supermarket slices, which just don’t have anyway near as much flavour.

This was also my third time making pasta. You absolutely don’t have to make the pasta yourself, and I’ll openly admit that I haven’t got it spot on yet. I absolutely loved the finished result, but I know this isn’t the classic light, silky fresh pasta you’d expect served to you in a restaurant, so feel free to either skip that step or use your own recipe or techniques. I actually ditched my pasta machine this time round because I found it way too fiddly to use, and a good old-fashioned rolling pin on the kitchen table did the trick, providing you persevere, getting the dough super thin.

I’d also like to highlight that the pasta dough recipe below is not my own, and is taken from Gino D’acampo’s Gino’s Pasta.

The pancetta does add a delicious crisp saltiness to the dish, but you could also use egg-free pasta and skip the pancetta for a plant-based meal. A small amount of miso paste could be a decent replacement just to hold on to some of those umami flavours.

Serves 2

For the pasta:

200g strong white flour

2 eggs

1tbsp olive oil

For the sauce:

150g mushrooms (button/chestnut)

50g cooked chestnuts

50g pancetta, diced

splash of marsala

100ml double cream (or plant-based alternative)

pinch of nutmeg

salt/pepper

a few sprigs of thyme

fresh parsley (optional)

1. Sift the flour onto a work surface and make a well in the centre.
2. Add the eggs, salt and olive oil.
3. Mix the wet ingredients with the dry, slowly combining from the inside out (bring the flour on the inside of the well into the wet ingredients first and work your way outwards).
4. Gather and knead to a soft dough (8 ish minutes).
5. Roll into a ball and leave to chill for 20 minutes.
6. Meanwhile start on the sauce. Brown the pancetta in olive oil then add the mushrooms and chestnuts.
7. Pour in the Marsala, add the thyme and seasoning and cook on low-medium heat to reduce.
8. Now back to the pasta. Remove the dough from the fridge, roll out very thinly so that you can see your hand through the dough either using a pasta machine or a rolling pin.
9. Fold the rolled dough in half and slice into ribbons of equal width.
10. Toss with a small amount of olive oil to stop the pasta from sticking together.
11. Bring a pan of salted water to the boil and add the pasta. It will cook super quickly and generally is ready when it rises to the surface. Drain, reserving a tiny bit of the cooking water for the sauce.
12. Finish off the sauce by adding a couple of tablespoons of pasta water, the double cream and nutmeg. Allow to cook for a couple of minutes before removing from the heat and tossing the pasta through the sauce.
13. Serve immediately topped with a little extra thyme and/or fresh parsley.

Pasta-making aside, this recipe is super straightforward, and the sauce is easily customised. The creamy Marsala is beautiful on its own and so even if you didn’t want to add the mushrooms and chestnuts, it should still taste fab.

Enjoy, and…

¡Comemos!

xo