Pasta with Mushroom
Wise chefs say the simpler the dishes, the more difficult they are. I can’t agree more when I was making this dish. Sure I’ve cooked pasta with mushroom countless of time but this season’s sample of Porcini, also called Bolet in French or Steinpilzen in German, made me rethink my technique.
On a recent trip to the Italian-speaking Switzerland, we discovered that Porcini, the wild mushroom abundant only at the end of summer and early autumn, was in rage. We sampled a few but we love the one served in Carona in the compound of its Botanical Garden. The porcini was brown and nutty. All the earthy flavours shine. Texturally, it was juicy and firm. I realize I’ve always done my mushroom incorrectly.
Mushrooms are friends of butter, onion and parsley. So I use them. The key is in the timing. You’ll be rewarded with sweet, flavourful, and toothsome mushroom sauce. Due to the rather oily nature of the dish, it’s best served with bone-dry, light white wine.
Ingredients:
Pasta for two
10-20 g butter, or to taste
1 onion, finely chopped
200 g porcini mushroom or champignon, thickly sliced
2 tbsp olive oil - or if you’re scared, water, wine, stock, etc.
1/2 tbsp lemon juice
Salt and pepper to taste
2 tbsp chopped flat-leafed parsley, for garnish
Directions:
Cook the pasta to the manufacturer’s specification. Set aside on a plate with a little of their water to prevent clumping while you cook the mushroom which will take minutes. Alternatively, start cooking the mushroom when the pasta is halfway done.
Melt the butter in a heavy pan (don’t use non-stick for this purpose as we want the browning). When the butter melts, dump in the onion and fry slowly until soft but not brown. Decrease the heat if required.
Put the heat back to high again and when the onion sizzles, add the sliced mushroom. The mushroom will absorb the butter so stir quickly to ensure even distribution of butter. Keep the mushroom moving to prevent sticking until the mushroom shrinks, the pan is dry and the whole thing (pan included) begins to brown. It is important to continuously stir because in this high-heat the mushroom will stick and we do not want to lower the heat because instead of searing, the mushroom will leak its juices.
When mushroom looks done (shiny and plump), switch off the fire and deglaze the pan with the olive oil. Continue stirring. Coat the mushroom with the oil and scrape the brown bits off the pan. Season with lemon juice, salt and pepper.
Pour the sauce onto the pasta and sprinkle with parsley. Serve immediately.
