Pasta with Wild Mushrooms Recipe

Pasta with Wild Mushrooms is an easy to make pasta recipe sent in to us by Federica, a site visitor, whose family was originally from Piedmont.

This recipe has proved to be one of the most popular recipes on the site, although not yet to the level of my wife Maria's meatball recipe

Ingredients

1 oz. (two small packages) dried porcini mushrooms

1/2 Cup dry white wine

4 oz. Pancetta, finely diced, add thin bacon slices if you haven't got pancetta

2 Tbs. Unsalted butter

2 Lb. assorted mushrooms (Portobello, Crimini, Common White, etc.), thinly sliced

2 Shallots, peeled and finely diced

4 sprigs fresh thyme leaves

salt & freshly ground black pepper

3–4 tablespoons of grated cheese (fontina or parmesan) or 1/2 cup of thick cream (the traditional version does not use cream but only cheese)

1 Lb. long pasta (spaghetti, tagliatelle, linguine, etc.)

4 Tbs. flat leaf Italian parsley, finely chopped

Cooking Instructions

1) Combine the dried porcini and the wine in a cup or small bowl and soak for thirty minutes.

2) Fill up a great big pot with four to six quarts of water and bring the water to a boil.

3) Heat a large saute pan to medium-high heat and add in the pancetta. Cook until it becomes slightly crisp. Lower the heat if needed.

4) Add the butter and allow it to melt. When the bubbles have subsided, add the fresh mushrooms. Saute the mushrooms until they have given up their juices and the juices have all but evaporated. In the meantime, when the pasta water boils, add the pasta to the water and stir.

5) Raise the heat to high and add the porcini and wine. If you've cooked the fresh mushrooms in two batches, combine them now. Add in the shallots, the thyme, and the sauté, stirring frequently until the wine has nearly evaporated. Add salt and pepper to taste, as well as the cream. Allow it to boil until it has reduced and thickened. Remove it from the heat.

6) When the pasta is al dente, drain and pour onto a plate, or divide it among four dishes. Either pour all of the mushroom sauce over the pasta on the platter or spoon a quarter over each of the dishes. Garnish with chopped parsley.

Pasta with Wild Mushrooms should be served immediately.

Buon Appetito!

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