October 23, 2013
Wild mushroom fettuccine highlights the flavors of fall. Mushrooms are abundant during this time of year so take advantage of the different varietals available in your local market. This simple and delicious dish can be prepared in less than 30 minutes. Serve your wild mushroom pasta with a bold red wine and a winter greens salad.
Ingredients:
1lb wild mushrooms (porcini, cremini, oyster, shiitake etc)
3/4 pound fettuccine
2 tbsp unsalted butter
2 tbsp olive oil
3 cloves garlic, rough chopped
1/2 tsp red pepper flakes
2 tbsp fresh Italian/flat-leaf parsley, rough chopped
1/2 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
1/4 cup toasted pine nuts
sea salt & fresh ground pepper
extra Parmesan to serve (optional)
extra parsley to serve (optional)
Directions:
Bring a large pot of generously-salted (very important as this dish is so simple) water to a boil and cook pasta to just under al dente according to package instructions. If the package says 9 minutes, take out around 7. Reserve 1 cup of starchy pasta water before straining.
In a dry, heavy-bottom skillet set over medium-high heat, brown mushrooms in batches until golden and crisp. I browned each variety of mushroom on its own as they may have different moisture levels. It should take about 6-7 minutes per batch to get them nice and golden - don't rush this part. It's the big flavour maker!
Once all your mushrooms have been browned, remove everything from the pan. Add the butter and olive oil to pan and let it get shimmering and hot. Add the garlic and let it cook until fragrant, 1 minute. Add the mushrooms, parsley and red pepper flakes and sauté until everything is combined, 1-2 minutes. Remove from heat. Strain pasta (don't forget to reserve 1 cup starchy water), and add back to large pot. Scoop the mushroom mixture into the pasta, making sure to really scrape all the good bits from the pan, with the Parmesan cheese and 1/4 cup of starch water and toss. If it's too dry, add more water a little at a time until you've got a nice, loose mushroom sauce coating all the noodles.
Taste for seasoning and add salt if needed. Garnish each serving with pine nuts, extra cheese, parsley and fresh ground pepper.
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