He is not Italian, as many would think, but the Polish Mateo Zielonka accumulates almost half a million followers on his Instagram account for knowing how to treat pasta almost the same or better than in his homeland. Based in London, The Pasta Man, as he has been nicknamed, has just published his second book in Spanish together with the Cinco Tintas publishing house: Paster Masterclass, a work that in other countries has already become a bestseller in which he explains how prepare at home more than 30 varieties of pasta and more than 40 recipes for fillings and sauces.
The mattarello, the extruder, the pot or the chitarra are some of the cuts and shapes that it teaches, in addition to discovering the different types of dough perfect for each preparation. Today, October 25, World Pasta Day, is the best time to get to work with some of the recipes provided by The Pasta Man below:
“Not all home cooks are used to cooking duck, but it is simple and easy to find in stores. At Christmas in Poland we served spiced duck accompanied by crispy baked potatoes and a bowl of buttered cabbage. Here, the duck with warm winter spices it becomes a delicious ragout that permeates the thick ribbons of the pappardelle.
“I spent a very happy morning in the workshop of Filippo Romagnoli, a third-generation artisan wood engraver on the outskirts of Florence. His grandfather Ferrando began as an apprentice cabinetmaker at the age of 11 and, in 1918, founded his own company. Now , Filippo specializes in pasta-making tools: wonderful beech, walnut, lemon or Tuscan mahogany rolling pins and dozens of different corzetti stamps, many of which are custom drawings. His workshop is like a small theater, with Filippo in center stage, leaning over the wood lathe working with precision and passion. He told me about this walnut sauce and, when I prepare it, I remember the smell of wood from his workshop. I like to make this pasta with vegan semolina dough or with whole wheat egg dough”
“My friend Giuseppe explained to me that his mother used to make him spaghetti with ricotta when he was little. The nice childhood memory made us both smile. I added chopped spinach and nutmeg to my version, to give some body to the sauce and because I always try to include vegetables in my dishes.
“On the way to visit the Molino Pasini, where my favorite flour is milled, I met up for lunch with my friend Gianluca, one of the owners. We stopped at a small osteria, a quirky place with a glass-door refrigerator full of blocks of meat against a wall and rough wooden tables with folded cloth napkins and wine glasses. We started with melted Parma ham on grilled polenta with chunks of parmesan and continued with some wonderful braised beef tortelloni. This is my version of that such a memorable dish.”
“In a restaurant kitchen, everyone likes to share stories about food and favorite dishes or debate what is traditional and what is not. Francesco, from Apulia, explained to me that his mother was a master at making orecchiette and busiate. Like me I hadn’t cooked these pastas, Francesco’s mother decided I had to learn and sent me a ferretto and her orecchiette knife along with the order to practice. Food connects you with people you don’t even know. And I think it’s wonderful “.
“Mushrooms, blue cheese, heavy cream and spinach: a delicious and indulgent dinner for mushroom season. Add the delicate nutty flavor of campanelle and you get a wonderful autumn dish. Use egg dough with flour of chestnuts”.
