20 Amici – 40 Ricette Cookbook Giveaway
June 9, 2025 by JennyEnter our worldwide giveaway to win one of two copies of 20 Amici – 40 Ricette: Friends and Food from the Heart of Chianti by John Bersani.
Experience what it’s like to not only eat in Tuscany, but also how it feels to live there in this lovely book. With traditional Tuscan recipes, heartwarming stories/chef profiles, and insider’s tips from local chefs and family cooks in 20 Amici – 40 Ricette you’ll learn – and taste – why that translates to 20 Friends, 40 Great Recipes – actually 57 recipes total!
Feel like you’re wandering the streets of Gaiole, a Tuscan village named “One of Europe’s Most Idyllic Places to Live” by Forbes, as you meet local chefs who share their stories and recipes, from a creamy Risotto semplice (basic risotto) to a tantalizing Branzino al forno (whole roasted Mediterranean sea bass). Bring a taste of authentic Italian cooking to your kitchen and a touch of Tuscany to your home with the tales from locals who will feel like friends.
Special thanks to the publisher for sharing this recipe with your Members to try now.
Tagliatelle with porcini mushrooms (Tagliatelle ai funghi porcini)
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Serves 4
- Kosher or coarse sea salt
- 1 garlic clove
- ¼ cup (60 ml) best-quality extra-virgin olive oil, plus more as needed
- 8 ounces (225 g) fresh porcini mushrooms (or substitute cremini or portobello), cut into bite-size pieces
- 1 small dried chile pepper, crushed (optional)
- 1 sprig fresh thyme
- Freshly ground black pepper
- 1 pound (475 g) fresh pasta sheets, cut into long noodles using a pasta machine attachment or by hand
Bring a large pot of water to a rolling boil over high heat; salt the water generously.
Place the flat side of a kitchen knife on top of the garlic clove and come down on it with your hand, using enough force to flatten the clove and loosen the skin. Remove the skin from the garlic clove and place it in a large sauté or frying pan with the olive oil. Over medium-low heat, bring the olive oil and garlic to a slow, steady sizzle. You don’t want to burn the garlic, just achieve a nice yellow color.
Add the mushrooms, crushed chile pepper (if using), and thyme to the pan. Season with salt and pepper and stir with a wooden spoon to incorporate everything together. Cook the mushrooms over medium heat for 5 to 7 minutes. Initially, the mushrooms will soak up the oil, brown, and release the liquid within them. After a bit more time, they will begin to release the oil they previously soaked up. At that point, taste for seasoning and, if needed, add more salt or pepper.
Put the pasta into the boiling salted water and cook until al dente for dried pasta or until “punto giusto” for fresh pasta (see Some Thoughts on Pasta, page 36).
As the pasta is cooking, place the mushroom mixture over medium heat and add a large spoonful of the pasta cooking water to the pan. Mix with your wooden spoon and let the mixture cook down into a saucy consistency. If it becomes too dry, add another spoonful of the cooking water. The goal here is to emulsify the mushroom mixture with the pasta water to create a sauce that’s not too watery and not too dry.
To finish the dish
When the pasta is cooked to the correct point, use a pair of kitchen tongs to drain and remove it from the pot, and toss it directly into the pan with the mushroom mixture.
You are now at a critical point in pasta cooking. It’s time to “marry” your sauce with the pasta. Over medium-low heat, stir the pasta into the mushroom mixture thoroughly, coating all of the noodles with the sauce. If the combination of pasta and mushrooms seems too dry, which is likely at this point as the pasta absorbs some of the sauce you created, add some more pasta cooking water until you achieve a balanced emulsification.
Remove the pan from the heat. Add a drizzle of olive oil to the pan and mix one last time to incorporate. Portion the pasta into warmed bowls and serve immediately. A mushroom fanatic like Luciano would frown at the thought of adding cheese to this dish (he’d claim it masks the beautiful flavor of the porcini), but you should follow your heart.
Make It a Meal: These tagliatelle stand well on their own as a main course with a simple antipasto of bruschette miste or serve half portions as a starter course or “primo” in the Italian tradition.
Wine Pairing: Rocca di Montegrossi Chianti Classico DOCG 2020. The balanced fruit and earthiness of this wine from Gaiole’s Monti subzone is the perfect accompaniment to any mushroom-centric dish.
Credit line: Excerpt from 20 Amici, 40 Ricette: Friends and Food from the Heart of Chianti by John Bersani. Copyright © 2025. Reprinted by permission of The Collective Studio. All rights reserved. Photography © Nico Schinco.
Special thanks to the publisher for providing two copies of this title in our promotion open Members worldwide. Entry options include answering the following question in the comments section of this blog post.
Which recipe in the index would you like to try first?
Please note that you must be logged into the Rafflecopter contest before posting or your entry won’t be counted. For more information on this process, please see our step-by-step help post. Once you log in and enter your member name you will be directed to the next entry option – the blog comment. After that, there are additional options that you can complete for more entries. Be sure to check your spam filters to receive our email notifications. Prizes can take up to 6 weeks to arrive from the publishers. If you are not already a Member, you can join at no cost. The contest ends at midnight on July 25th, 2025.
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