Pasta (recipe yield 6-8 portions)
300 g soft flour (00 or cake flour)
3 large eggs
1 teaspoon olive oil
Place the flour in a bowl and make a well in the center.
Place the eggs and olive oil in a bowl and whisk to incorporate.
Pour the wet mix onto the flour and work into a ball.
Knead well for 5 minutes, wrap in plastic and place in the refrigerator for 1 hour.
Roll onto the last setting of the pasta machine, cut into 15cm x 10cm strips and blanch in boiling water for 20 seconds, refresh in ice water.
Flatten the strips on an oiled surface and cut into circles with a large cookie cutter.
Toss the pasta in olive oil and reserve until needed.<
Ragout (recipe yields 4-6 portions)
2 tsp olive oil
3 cups of mixed wild mushrooms
2 tablespoons red onion, minced finely
1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
1 tablespoon honey
Pinch picked thyme
2 tablespoons cream
Salt to taste
Heat the olive oil in a pan and sauté the mushrooms until just tender.
Add the onion, balsamic vinegar and honey and cook to a syrupy glaze.
Add the thyme and cream and cook until the cream just coats the ragout.
Season to taste and keep warm.
Poached egg (4 portions)
4 eggs, cracked in separate bowls
White wine vinegar
Bring a tall saucepan of water to the boil and add 2 tablespoons vinegar.
Place the eggs in the water one by one and poach until the egg white is just firm enough to hold – do this just before serving.
Velouté
1 cup hazelnuts
2 cups milk
2 tablespoons dried porcini mushrooms
Place the milk and porcini in a pot and heat to under boiling point.
Toast the hazelnuts and add to the milk, leave to infuse for 15 minutes and puree with a hand blender.
Strain through a sieve and season with salt.
Assembly
Quickly cook the pasta rounds in a pot of boiling water, scoop out and drain.
Place 2 tablespoons of the hot mushroom ragout in the center of a warm plate and top with a pasta sheet. Repeat with another spoon of ragout and a pasta sheet. Now place a warm poached egg on the last sheet.
Spoon a generous amount of velouté over the egg and serve with a slice of crusty ciabatta and a glass of 2023 La Motte Chardonnay.