Fettuccine Pasta With Octopus And Porcini Mushroom Sauce Recipes

FETTUCCINE WITH WILD MUSHROOMS

Steps:

• Soak porcini in cup of boiling water 30 minutes. Trim stalks from the fresh mushrooms, wash off grit under cold running water and slice into one-and-a-half-inch pieces.
• Using a large skillet, soften the garlic and the shallots in two tablespoons butter and oil. Meanwhile, bring six quarts salted water to a boil.
• Strain the porcini through a paper towel, reserving the soaking liquid. Chop the porcini and add them to the skillet with the thyme, salt and pepper and white wine. Cook over moderate heat, stirring occasionally, for about 20 minutes. Add the porcini cooking liquid and continue to cook over moderate heat until it has almost evaporated.
• Meanwhile, cook the fettuccine until al dente. Drain and toss in a heated bowl with the remaining tablespoon butter (you could use truffle oil instead).
• Over moderate heat, stir the creme fraiche into the mushrooms. Correct seasoning and pour them over the fettuccine. Toss, sprinkle with parsley and serve. Pass the cheese separately.

FETTUCINE WITH PORCINI MUSHROOM SAUCE

Steps:

• Melt butter in heavy large skillet over medium-high heat. Add shallots and sauté until beginning to brown, about 4 minutes. Add mushrooms and stir to coat. Add broth and cream and bring sauce to boil. Reduce heat to medium-low, cover and simmer until mushrooms are tender, about 20 minutes. Uncover and boil until sauce thickens slightly, stirring occasionally, about 5 minutes. Season sauce with salt and pepper.
• Cook pasta in large pot of boiling salted water until just tender but still firm to bite, stirring occasionally. Drain, reserving 1/2 cup cooking water. Return pasta to pot. Add sauce; toss over medium-low heat until heated through, adding reserved cooking water by tablespoonfuls if pasta is dry. Season with salt and pepper. Serve, passing cheese separately.

PASTA WITH DRIED MUSHROOMS AND TOMATO SAUCE

Steps:

• Place the mushrooms in a bowl or a pyrex measuring cup and cover with hot water. Let soak 15 to 30 minutes, until thoroughly soft. Line a strainer with cheesecloth and set it over a bowl. Drain the mushrooms and squeeze them over the strainer. Then rinse in several changes of water and chop coarsely. Measure out 1/4 cup of the mushroom soaking liquid.
• Begin heating a large pot of water for the pasta. Heat the olive oil in a large, wide, heavy nonstick frying pan over medium heat and add the onion or shallot. Cook, stirring, until tender, 3 to 5 minutes. Add the garlic and stir together for minute, until fragrant, then add the mushrooms and stir together for a minute or two, until fragrant. Add the tomatoes and their juice, the mushroom soaking liquid you set aside, the thyme, and 1/2 teaspoon salt. Stir and turn up the heat. When the tomatoes begin to bubble, lower the heat to medium and cook, stirring often, until thick and fragrant, 15 to 20 minutes. Add a generous amount of pepper, taste and adjust seasonings. Keep warm.
• When the pasta water comes to a boil, add a tablespoon of salt and the pasta. Cook al dente, following the timing directions on the package but checking a minute or two before the time on the package. Remove 1/4 cup of the pasta cooking water and stir it into the mushroom sauce. When the pasta is cooked through but still firm to the bite, remove another 1/2 cup water, drain the pasta and toss with the sauce in the frying pan if possible. If you wish to thin out the sauce or moisten the pasta further, add 1/4 to 1/2 cup of the pasta cooking water or more of the mushroom soaking liquid. Serve hot; pass the Parmesan at the table.