Homemade Pasta With Mushroom Ragú and Chianti Classico
When we look back at our time in Italy, we always stop and marvel at the four months we spent at Monte Bernardi - a winery/vineyard in the heart of Chianti Classico in Tuscany.
The Italian government had lifted COVID-19 restriction and Scott and I had decided to move out of Piedmont and try our luck in Tuscany. It was August 2020 and we moved into a studio apartment equipped with a mini-fridge, a two-burner induction stove, and the world’s hottest balcony. Cooking was kept to a minimum of salads and lentils on repeat.
The goal was to find a winery where Scott could work the harvest and gain hands-on experience of the work that goes behind the wines he had been studying for years.
Scott contacted Michael Schmelzer, co-owner and winemaker at Monte Bernardi, and two days later we were sitting at the winery terrace overlooking the Panzano hills getting to know Michael and tasting the wines. Michael gave us a tour of the adjacent vineyard before walking us up to Villa Bernardi and showing us our temporary home.
Initially, we were going to stay for the two weeks of harvest but, with COVID-19 restrictions and the need for more hands in the winery, we ended up staying until December.
We lived alone in Villa Bernardi. We sat out in the terrace for early morning coffee before Scott rushed out to the winery and gazed at the endless horizon of changing leaves and fog for early evening supper. I could cook or bake anything I wanted in the lavish kitchen, unlike anything I had seen in Italy the two years we had been there. I made stews and soups, baked breads and cookies, and made pastas from scratch with locally-sourced flour from a producer nearby. And for wine… all I had to do was walk down to the winery shop and purchase a bottle to go with dinner.
To celebrate the end of harvest Michael and his team cooked sourdough pizzas in the wood oven and we shared with the locals feeling like Chiantigiani.
It has been three years since we made Villa Bernardi our temporary home. Yet, the memories of the lush landscapes, the kind and loving people, and amazing wine live in our hearts. So this is an homage to Monte Bernardi and our blink-of-a-moment being Chiantigiani.
Pasta with Mushroom Ragù
Fall is a great time for mushrooms in the forested Chianti hills, and a mushroom ragù is a great way to put the seasonal harvest and the local wine together at the table. Watch the video and make your own homemade pasta with mushroom ragù!
RAGU:
For the ragù, I use a combination of easy-to-find mushrooms, but you can also use rehydrated dried porcini for deeper flavor.
1lb chopped mushrooms
1 tsp Italian herbs (rosemary, thyme, oregano)
2 garlic cloves, minced
1/2 tsp red pepper flakes
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp black pepper
1 tbsp soy sauce
1 tbsp oil
1/2 cup chopped onion
1/4 cup stock
1 tbsp wine or red wine vinegar
1 cup tomato puree or crushed tomatoes
PASTA
For the pasta, you can use store-bought pasta or make your own, OR if you are making your own here is the ingredient list:
200 grams AP or cake flour (or if you find 00 flour)
2 eggs
2 tbsps of water - OR 2 egg yolks
1 tbsp oil + 1 tsp water
1 tsp salt
About the Wine: Retromarcia
Retromarcia is made with 100% Sangiovese grapes following the traditional method to make wine in the region. The name Retromarcia means ‘reverse gears’ and it aims to return to the ‘natural elegance and charm of Sangiovese’.
Sangiovese pairs well with tomatoes thanks to its acidity, which balances the acidity in the tomatoes. Plus the mushrooms with their earthy and umami flavors enhance the herbaceous undertones of the wine. Finishing the dish with some cheese balances the tannins in the wine.
The 2020 vintage brings memories of the harvest, of the kind people we met, and the plans to return next June for our Tuscany study trip.
~ Paula