Padella co-founder Tim Siadatan. Photo: Sam A Harris
“What right do two Englishmen have to set up a restaurant dedicated only to pasta?” ask Tim Siadatan and Jordan Frieda, who opened Padella, their popular restaurant in Borough Market, south London, almost a decade ago, and this week announced a new outpost in Soho. This autumn the pair published their recipes in a book which has just been announced as Waterstone’s gift book of the year.
The Italian home is, of course, where all the really great cooking happens,” says Tim. “Remember that the most important thing is to think and behave like an Italian in the kitchen and at the table: if you don’t have time to taste what you’re cooking, and to sit down and have a glass of wine (or cup of tea), that sweet inspiration won’t be able to inhabit and guide you.
“Stai tranquillo [stay calm]. God has provided you with beautiful, delicious ingredients: do as little to them as possible, and take time to eat them. After all, too much thought and obsession in the kitchen will ruin perfectly good ingredients.
“One final point,” adds Tim: “Always serve your pasta up on hot plates. Once out of the hot pan, pasta loses its silky viscosity and cold plates accelerate this process. So get your plates into a low oven, or a bowl of hot water, before you start.”
Pappardelle with mushrooms, garlic and rosemary
Padella’s pappardelle with portobello mushrooms, garlic and rosemary
Pasta with a creamy, garlicky mushroom sauce is always popular and this dish is no exception. It’s super-easy and quick to make, inexpensive, and a winner if you’re looking for a decadent and indulgent option.
Serves 4
Ingredients
450g fresh pappardelle (also works with fresh fettuccine, pici or dried pappardelle)
8 large portobello (or similar) mushrooms
A small handful (about 20g) of dried porcini (optional)
About 75ml extra virgin olive oil
8 medium garlic cloves (about 40g), finely chopped
2 tbsp finely chopped rosemary
400g crème fraîche
2 tbsp finely chopped curly parsley
40g unsalted butter, cubed (optional)
Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
Parmesan, finely grated, to finish
Method
Peel off the skin from the fresh mushroom caps and then slice them into 1–2cm thick slices.
For the pasta, bring 4–5 litres water to the boil in a large cooking pot and add a fistful of salt. Add the dried porcini, if using, as the water warms up, then fish out with a slotted spoon after 10 minutes and discard.
Meanwhile, cook the fresh mushrooms in batches. Use a large, wide pan that is big enough to hold the cooked pasta as well as all the mushrooms and sauce. Place it over a medium heat and add a glug (about 40ml) of extra virgin olive oil. When hot, add a layer of mushroom slices and sear until golden, then turn and fry on the other side until golden. Using a slotted spoon, transfer the mushrooms to a plate; set aside. Add another glug of oil and fry the next batch; repeat as necessary. (Don’t overload the pan, or the mushrooms will steam rather than colour properly, and you won’t get the right flavour or texture.) Once all the mushrooms are seared, chop them into 5mm–1cm pieces and set aside.
Add the garlic and rosemary to the same pan (with a little more oil if needed) and fry over a medium heat until the garlic is starting to colour, then add the chopped mushrooms and stir. Take off the heat and add the crème fraîche, chopped parsley and half a mug (about 120ml) of the seasoned pasta water. Stir to bring the sauce together then season generously with salt and pepper.
Loosen the pasta bundles through your fingers so they won’t stick together as they cook. Drop the pappardelle into the boiling water and cook for about 1–1½ minutes. Drain as soon as it’s ready, keeping two mugs of pasta water.
Transfer the pasta to the mushroom sauce and stir over a low-medium heat until nicely combined, adding small splashes of the reserved pasta water to loosen if necessary. If you’re feeling naughty, add the butter, too. Taste to check the seasoning, adding salt and/or pepper if required.
Divide between hot plates and finish with a generous sprinkling of grated Parmesan. Eat straight away. Peppery leaves, such as watercress or rocket dressed in lemon oil, would be most welcome on the side.
From Padella: Iconic Pasta at Home by Tim Siadatan (Bloomsbury Publishing, £25)