Courtesy Bill Jones, Deerholme Farm
You can use any mushrooms, including button mushrooms to make this simple and delicious dish. I prefer a thin pasta for this, like spaghettini or angel hair pasta. Use the best olive oil you have and buy a fresh chunk
of parmesan cheese (Parmigiano Reggiano) the older the better – you won’t regret it.
Serves 4
Ingredients
1 lb dried pasta
2 Tbsp olive oil
1 cup porcini mushrooms, chopped finely
1 Tbsp garlic, minced
1 Tbsp minced fresh rosemary (or fresh sage)
¼ cup freshly grated parmesan cheese
salt and pepper to taste
Fill a medium pot with water, add salt to taste and bring to a boil. Add the dried pasta and bring back to a boil. Lower heat to medium high and stir pasta for the first few minutes of cooking. It the surface starts to foam (from starch released into the water) add a little oil to the water to reduce foaming. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the pasta is cooked through but still al dente (with a little texture in the middle). It should take 7-8 minutes.
While the pasta is cooking, place a frying pan over medium high heat, add the olive oil and mushrooms. Saute until the mushrooms softened and begin to brown. Add the garlic and rosemary to the pan. Stir until fragrant,
Meanwhile, drain the pasta into a sieve (retain a little of the pasta water). Add the pasta to the mushrooms and add the retained pasta water. Toss well to coat and season well with salt and pepper. Add the grated cheese and quickly toss to coat. Transfer to serving bowls and top with a little additional grated parmesan.