Kitchen garden cook

Melanie Johnson goes foraging for wild mushrooms

Method

Weigh out the flour and sift it onto a work surface. Make a well in the centre and crack the eggs into it with the olive oil. Rub in using your fingers and gradually incorporate the surrounding flour—don’t add salt or the pasta will be speckled. Bring the dough together and knead until smooth, then wrap it in clingfilm and leave to rest in the fridge for half an hour.

Remove the dough from the fridge and flatten it with a rolling pin. Run it through a pasta machine, starting with the widest setting and working your way down until you’re at the thinnest. Finally, put the sheets through the tagliatelle attachment. If you don’t have a pasta machine, roll the dough out until very thin, then roll it up and slice it into strips. Drape the tagliatelle over a tea towel-covered kitchencupboard door in a single layer until dry, but still soft. Bring a large pan of salted water to the boil.

Heat a splash of olive oil in a pan, then gently sauté the red onion until almost soft. Add the mushrooms and crushed garlic and fry for a further 5 minutes. Pour the stock and sour cream over them, toss in the spinach and mix well. Simmer gently.

Drop the pasta into the boiling salted water and cook for about 3–4 minutes. Once cooked, drain and add the pasta to the sauce, mixing in a handful of red-veined sorrel.

Divide the pasta between four plates and top with grated Parmesan and the remaining sorrel. Serve immediately.