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1
Make the Dough
15 Mins • Mixing & Kneading
Room temperature, about 20°C (68°F)
Mix the 300 g flour and 100 g semolina in a bowl. Dissolve the 5 g salt in the 200 ml warm water, then pour it in gradually, stirring with a fork until the dough comes together. Turn it onto the work surface and knead firmly for 8–10 minutes until smooth, firm and elastic. It should feel like a stiff earlobe and spring back slowly when pressed.
Add the water a little at a time — flour absorbs differently on damp days, and a dough that is too wet makes limp pasta.
Done when: Smooth, firm dough that springs back when pressed.
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2
Rest the Dough
30 Mins • Resting
Room temperature, about 20°C (68°F)
Wrap the dough in cling film or cover with an upturned bowl and rest for 30 minutes. Do not skip this: the gluten relaxes, so the dough rolls out thin without tearing or springing back.
While the dough rests, slice the mushrooms and chop the garlic — the shaping takes a while and the sauce cooks fast.
Done when: Dough feels soft and relaxed when pressed.
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3
Shape the Strozzapreti
30 Mins • Shaping
Room temperature, about 20°C (68°F)
Roll the dough out on a lightly floured surface to a sheet about 2–3 mm thick. Cut it into strips about 1.5 cm (1/2 inch) wide and 8–10 cm (3–4 inches) long. Take one strip at a time and roll it between your palms, twisting as you go, until it forms a tight little rope about 7–8 cm (3 inches) long. Lay the finished strozzapreti on a floured tray, not touching each other.
Keep the unused dough covered while you work, or the edges dry out and crack when rolled.
Done when: Short, tight twisted ropes, all roughly the same size.
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4
Brown the Mushrooms
10 Mins • Browning the Mushrooms
Medium-high heat, about 190°C (375°F)
Heat the 30 ml olive oil in a large wide pan over medium-high heat. Add the 400 g sliced mushrooms in a single layer — cook in two batches if the pan is crowded — and leave them alone for 3–4 minutes until browned underneath. Turn and brown the other side, then add the 30 g butter and the 12 g garlic and cook for 1 minute more until fragrant. Season with the 1 g black pepper and a pinch of salt.
Do not salt the mushrooms until they brown — salt draws out water and they steam instead of browning.
Done when: Mushrooms deeply golden and shrunken, garlic fragrant, not brown.
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5
Cook the Strozzapreti
5 Mins • Boiling the Pasta
Boiling water, 100°C (212°F)
Bring a large pot of salted water to a rolling boil. Drop in the strozzapreti and cook for 3–4 minutes until they float and taste tender with a gentle bite — fresh pasta cooks fast, so start tasting at 3 minutes. Before draining, scoop out a mug of the starchy pasta water. Drain the pasta without rinsing it.
That mug of pasta water is liquid gold — a splash loosens the sauce and helps it cling to the twisted pasta.
Done when: Pasta floats, tastes tender with a slight bite, and the water is cloudy with starch.
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6
Toss with Cream and Parmesan
5 Mins • Tossing & Serving
Medium heat, about 175°C (350°F)
Pour the 120 ml cream into the mushroom pan over medium heat and let it bubble for 1 minute, then tip in the drained strozzapreti and toss for 1–2 minutes, adding a splash of pasta water if the sauce is too thick. Take the pan off the heat, fold in the 40 g Parmesan and the 10 g parsley, and toss until the sauce turns silky and coats every twist. Serve at once in warm bowls with extra Parmesan.
Take the pan off the heat before adding the Parmesan — high heat makes it clump instead of melting into the sauce.
Done when: Sauce silky and clinging to the pasta, not pooled at the bottom of the bowl.
auto_awesome Finishing Touches & Plating
Serve the strozzapreti in warm bowls with an extra snowfall of Parmesan and a little chopped parsley. Eat at once — fresh pasta and cream sauce wait for no one.
San Marino
50m
France
Vietnam