Strapponi Pasta with Chanterelles and Mint

The ideal pasta for beginners, plus a humble, jaw-dropping dressing.

 Strapponi Pasta with Chanterelles and Mint

This is a true forager’s meal hailing from the forested villages of Tuscany, in an area called Garfagnana. Wild mint and mushrooms from the forest floor are packed out, then fried and dressed with garlic and olive oil for a simple-but-oh-so-damn-delicious meal. What better than to make this wonderful dish here at home in Asheville, where our mountain forests explode with their own mushrooms and mint?

I adapted this recipe from the incredible Pasta Grannies cookbook, spearheaded by Vicky Bennison, from which I continue to learn a ton. This particular dish is traditionally served without cheese, and so I thought, why not remove the eggs from the pasta dough and make it vegan? And, voila, it was done. I substituted chanterelle for her porcini, since that was what I found in the woods on that day.

This is the perfect pasta for beginners. Strapponi are simply pasta pieces torn whichever way from a rolled out dough. That’s it. Just roll out, tear, and boil. It may sound simple, because it is—but don’t be fooled in the slightest. All these components add up to more than the sum of their parts. This is damn good pasta. And it’s easy to make too. And it’s vegan. What?!

For the pasta:

• 2 1/4 cups 00 pasta flour
• 3/4 cup carrot juice

For the dressing:

• 4 tablespoons olive oil
• 2 garlic cloves
• 3 tablespoons chopped fresh mint
• 1 pound chanterelles, well rinsed and cleaned of debris

Form the pasta dough: Mix the flour and carrot juice in a stand mixer with the paddle attachment on low speed until dough forms. Continue kneading by hand or machine for 3 minutes. Wrap the dough in plastic and let rest for thirty minutes.

Make the dressing: Meanwhile, heat a saute pan over medium-high flame. Add the mushrooms, dry sautéing them until their water has cooked out, about 5-8 minutes. Set them aside and wipe the pan dry.

Heat the pan again over medium-high flame, this time with the olive oil. When the oil is shimmering, add the garlic and mint and fry them for a few minutes. Add the mushrooms back to the pan, frying them until golden. Season the dressing with a pinch of salt and set aside.

Make the strapponi: Bring a large heavily salted pot of water to a boil. Meanwhile, roll out the dough to third-thinnest setting on your pasta attachment. When the water is boiling, tear chunks of pasta from the sheet and toss them into the pot, letting them cook for 2 minutes. Use a spyder or slotted spoon to transfer the cooked pasta to the saute pan and toss with the dressing. Repeat in batches if necessary, until all of the pasta is cooked.

Serve hot and enjoy.