Stefano Manfredi

Squid and mushroom ragù ‘under a sheet’

serves 6 as a first course

Ingredients

500 g squid, cleaned and cut into 1/2 cm thick strips
500 g assorted mushrooms
1 large onion, roughly chopped
1 leek sliced
4 cloves garlic, minced
large handful parsley, chopped
olive oil
salt and pepper

Method

Chop the wild mushrooms into bite size pieces.

Place the onion, leek and garlic in a pot with some olive oil and fry gently.

Add all the mushrooms and stir continuously at high heat until they soften.

Simmer for about 15 minutes and then add the parsley and season.

Sear the squid strips in olive oil and garlic.

Serve with the mushrooms covered completely with the pasta sheet.

The pasta sheet

Make a well with about 500 g of plain flour.

Add 2-3 teaspoons squid ink.

Add enough whole eggs so that, when they are worked into the flour, the dough is not sticky and not dry.

Compensate by adding more flour if too sticky, or more egg if too dry.v Cut the pasta dough into smaller workable pieces so it can be easily passed though your pasta machine.

Roll it till you have quite a thin sheet then cut into 8 cm squares.

Cook for 30 seconds before serving with the squid and mushrooms.

August 8 1995