It started at our first photo shoot, and ahem … “mushroomed” into something pretty magical. Earthy mushrooms, salty anchovies, and heavy cream come together to create this rich dish. Easy enough to crank out on a weeknight, but fancy enough to serve to a crowd, this is a Snowe team favorite—particularly when paired with an almost-too-full glass (or bottle) of robust red. To feel extra Italian, make it a Barolo.

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Snowe's Simple Wild Mushroom Pasta

Serves 4

 

INGREDIENTS

PRODUCE

8 oz mixed mushrooms (oyster, morel, shiitake, button, crimini, maitake etc.), roughly chopped  

Note: Feel free to be creative. Use whatever mix of mushrooms you can get. If reconstituting dried mushrooms, be sure to drain well. You can save liquid to use in place of chicken stock.  

1 medium shallot, minced

2-3 garlic cloves, minced

1 lemon (1 teaspoon of zest and juice of half a lemon)

1 small bunch fresh flat-leaf parsley, finely chopped

Fresh thyme, finely chopped

 

GROCERY

Splash of olive oil

4 tablespoons butter

¼ to ⅓ cup parmigiano reggiano, grated

2-3 tablespoons heavy cream (optional)

¼ cup chicken stock (If store bought, use a low-sodium version.)

¼ cup white wine

2-3 good quality anchovy fillets

1 lb. of high-quality pasta

Note: We think fettuccine or tagliatelle stands up best to the rich sauce and chunky mushrooms.

 

DIRECTIONS

1. Heat butter in the skillet over medium heat until it foams. When butter stops foaming, add sliced mushrooms. Make sure all mushrooms are in contact with the pan. If you have more mushrooms than will fit, sauté them in batches. Season with salt and pepper. Cook until mushrooms are brown and have cooked off any liquid (roughly about 4 to 5 minutes), stirring frequently. Remove from heat and set aside.
2. In the now empty pan, heat olive oil. Once it’s hot, add the minced shallot, garlic, and anchovies. Cook until the shallot has wilted, but before the garlic browns.
3. Once the shallot has wilted, add wine and stock to deglaze. (Chef's Note: Deglaze is a very glamorous sounding word for using cold liquid in a hot pan to shake loose all the delicious brown bits off the bottom of the pan and into your dinner.) Cooking off the alcohol. Let the liquid simmer and reduce slightly.
4. Once the liquid has reduced, add mushrooms and thyme. Turn off heat.
5. Bring 6-8 quarts of salted water to boil. Add pasta and cook just short of package instructions (you want your pasta just shy of al dente). Drain but reserve ½ cup starchy cooking water to add to the sauce. This will help the rich sauce bind to the pasta.
6. When your pasta is almost cooked, warm up mushroom sauce. Add the reserved pasta water in spoonfuls. Start with 1-2 tablespoons, depending on how thick you would like your sauce. If you want an extra decadent sauce, add a tablespoon or two of heavy cream.
7. Once the sauce is warm and combined, add cooked pasta, and toss to coat. Finish the pasta in the mushroom sauce to bring to al dente (about a minute). Add cheese, lemon zest and juice, parsley and fresh-ground black pepper.
8. Serve with a drizzle of olive oil and additional grated cheese.