pasta with fresh mushroom sauce
We so often see mushroom sauces containing copious amounts of cream that it’s easy to forget how delicious they can be without it. This sauce is a case in point. My apologies to the purists who do not agree with washing mushrooms. While I wish I had the patience to brush the dirt off each individual mushroom, I fear I would go batty in the process. Washing them quickly, as I do here, prevents the mushrooms from absorbing water (or at least, the amount they absorb is negligible) and it keeps me sane, which I think my girls and husband especially appreciate.
pasta with fresh mushroom sauce
Ingredients
- 2 lbs. fresh porcini or an assortment of fresh mushrooms (a mixture is best—white button, cremini, shiitakes, and/or chanterelles, if you can find them)
- 1 tbsp. distilled white vinegar
- 4 1/2 tbsps. unsalted butter, divided
- 1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil
- 3 garlic cloves, crushed
- Salt and freshly ground white pepper
- 3/4 lb. pasta
- 2 sprigs fresh thyme
- 2 handfuls fresh parsley leaves, minced
- Freshly grated Parmigiano Reggiano cheese for serving
How To
- Trim the bottoms of the mushroom stems. Fill a very large bowl with cold water and add the vinegar. Add the mushrooms and swirl them around in the water for 30 seconds or so. Drain and rinse them under cold water. Drain again and place on a kitchen towel, stem side down, so that any remaining water drains. Let air dry for 10 minutes. Cut into 1/3-inch slices.
- Bring a large pot of water to a boil.
- While the water comes to a boil, heat a skillet large enough to hold finished pasta over low heat for 2 to 3 minutes. Add 4 tablespoons of the butter and the olive oil and raise the heat to medium. When the butter stops foaming, add the garlic and cook until it begins to turn golden, about 3 minutes. Discard the garlic.
- Add the mushrooms and salt and white pepper to taste, mixing well. Raise the heat to medium-high and cook until the mushrooms release their water, about 6 minutes. Continue to cook until their water has evaporated and the mushrooms are nice and soft but haven’t turned brown yet, 4 to 5 minutes Remove from the heat and cover to keep warm.
- When the water for the pasta is boiling, add salt (1 tablespoon for every 4 cups water) and stir. Add the pasta and stir for first minute to prevent any sticking. Cook following the package instructions, though you will drain the pasta 2 minutes prior to the directed cooking time. The pasta should be soft but still very firm. Right before draining the pasta, reserve 1/4 cup of the pasta water.
- While the pasta cooks, measure out a cup of cooked mushrooms and puree (using an immersion blender is fastest but you can use a regular blender or mini food processor). Return the puree to the skillet, along with the thyme and two thirds of the parsley, and stir. Heat the mixture to a gentle boil over medium heat, then adjust the heat to low and cover.
- Drain the pasta and return the empty pot to the stove. Immediately turn the heat to high and add the remaining 1/2 tablespoon butter and reserved pasta water. Add the pasta and toss until the water is absorbed. Add the mushroom sauce and cook, mixing continuously, for 1 to 2 minutes.
- Divide the pasta between four warmed bowls and serve piping hot topped a few good cracks of pepper and sprinkled with the remaining parsley and Parmigiano (or pass the grated cheese at the table).
