Mega Mushroom Pasta with Taleggio Cheese Sauce and Escarole Salad with Fennel Recipe
This is the most mind blowing mushroom lovers pasta EVER, yes I said it and I stand by it. I love the fungi and this is all about the love of the fungi. Best way to take care of mushrooms when you get home from the store, is to transfer them to a plain old brown paper bag and store in the crisper drawer in the refrigerator, this way they are covered and protected but still able to breathe. You take care of the ones you love and I love the fungi! Hope you do too!
Recipe featured on Rachael Ray's Meals in Minutes.
Ingredients
Mega Mushroom Pasta
- 1 – 1 ¼ pounds assorted fresh mushrooms of choice, stemmed and wiped – store in paper bags and use ASAP
- 3 tablespoons EVOO
- 1 tablespoons lemon juice
- 3 tablespoons butter
- 2 shallots, finely chopped
- 3-4 cloves garlic, grated or finely chopped
- Salt and white pepper
- 2 tablespoons flour
- 1 cup white wine
- 1/2 cup half n half or heavy cream
- 6-8 ounces Taleggio, trimmed of rind and pulled into smaller pieces
- 1 pound egg pappardelle or tagliatelle
- 1 cup Parmigiano-Reggiano, grated
Directions
Place water on to boil for pasta.
Stem or trim and slice or tear mushrooms (Hen or chicken of woods, oyster can be torn into strips.)
Heat a large shallow skillet over medium high heat, add olive oil and mushrooms and brown lightly and allow mushrooms to become fragrant and vibrant. Douse with a little lemon juice and remove to a platter.
Return pan to medium heat and add butter and melt, add shallots and garlic, salt and white pepper and stir 2-3 minutes to soften a bit, add flour, stir, add white wine and reduce to ¼-1/3 cup, add the half-n-half or cream and stir, add Taleggio and melt into sauce, reduce heat to low.
Add mushrooms back to the pan.
Salt pasta water. Cook pasta 1 minute less than package directions and reserve ½ cup cooking water, drain or use spider to transfer to sauce, add cheese and toss. Use cooking water to loosen sauce if necessary. Serve immediately.
Escarole Salad with Fennel
This is a method more than a recipe: per 4 people 8 cups chopped fresh escarole and 1 bulb fennel, quartered, cored and thinly sliced. Add ½ small white or red onion, season with salt and fine black pepper and dress with juice of 1 lemon and about 3 T fruity olive oil. Herbs that work are tarragon, parsley leaves and celery tops.
