Italians enjoy many traditional foods made with farina di castagne—chestnut flour—especially cakes and sweets. Pasta with part chestnut flour is delicious too, as I hope you will discover. Imported farina di castagne is widely available in specialty markets (and from Web sites).

　　

Ingredients

for 1 pound of pasta

　　

Dry

1 cup all-purpose flour

　　1 cup chestnut flour

　　

Wet

2 large whole eggs

　　1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil

　　3 tablespoons water

　　

Step 1

Food-processor mixing recommended, following the directions on page 160.

　　

Suggested Shapes and Sauces

Step 2

Be sure to try chestnut pappardelle with Butter, Dried Chestnut, and Rosemary Sauce (page 121). Rosemary and chestnuts have an established affinity; fresh rosemary often adorns castagnaccio, the famed rustic chestnut bread of Tuscany.

　　From Lidia's Family table by Lidia Matticchio Bastianich Copyright (c) 2004 by Lidia Matticchio Bastianich Published by Knopf.Lidia Bastianich hosts the hugely popular PBS show, "Lidia's Italian-American kitchen" and owns restaurants in New York City, Kansas City, and Pittsburgh. Also the author of Lidia's Italian Table and Lidia's Italian-American Kitchen, she lives in Douglaston, New York. Jay Jacob's journalism has appeared in many national magazines.From the Trade Paperback edition.