A sure-fire winner for dinner! Ready in 15 minutes, creamy, indulgent and very delicious. Top tip: dry-fry mushrooms first, with no oil at all, so that they take on some colour. This removes the water, intensifies the flavour and is a tasty little trick to remember when cooking with mushrooms.
There is a secret ingredient, although it is non-essential: Porcini mushroom powder. It is available from well known posh supermarkets and deli stores online and really gives the flavour a boost. The recipe can easily be cooked without it, or you could use a dash of Mushroom Ketchup or a few drops of Worcestershire Sauce.
As you will surely know, always reserve a bit of pasta water to loosen up the sauce at the end. Any pasta will work but tagliatelle or fettuccini are the best fit in my humble opinion. Pecorino would also work well if you don’t have parmesan. Treat all measures as approximate and whip up this delicious treat as soon as you can.
Enjoy!
Creamy Mushroom Pasta
(2 votes, average: 5.00 out of 5)
Loading...Ingredients
- 250g chestnut or button mushrooms, sliced
- 100g creme fraiche
- 1 shallot
- Handful grated parmesan, approx 75g
- A few sprigs of thyme
- 3 cloves garlic, sliced
- 250g tagliatelle
- 1/2 teaspoon Porcini Mushroom powder (optional)
- Olive oil, butter, salt, pepper
Instructions
Slice the mushrooms and set aside.
Finely chop the shallot and also set aside with the sliced garlic
Get a pan of boiling, salted water bubbling away and add the tagliatelle. Stir frequently throughout cooking to prevent sticking.
Take a large frying pan - big enough to hold the cooked pasta at the end of the dish - and heat over a medium heat. Add the sliced mushrooms and dry-fry (no oil) for 2-3 minutes. They should begin to take on a bit of colour.
Next, add a good glug of olive oil, a knob of butter and tip in the garlic and shallots. Reduce the heat slightly and keep stirring. Season at this point with salt, pepper and the mushroom powder if using. Strip some thyme leaves and add them in.
Keep an eye on the pasta - take it out just before it is fully cooked. Drain and reserve a few tablespoons of pasta water
Add the cooked pasta to the pan along with the creme fraiche, parmesan and some pasta water to loosen it up. Give a good stir and add more creme fraiche, parmesan and pasta water until you have the consistency you like.
Season well with pepper and serve up while piping hot.
Notes
I used half-fat creme fraiche, which is just as nice and a bit healthier
