Fettuccine with porcini mushrooms 

Canada has some really great fresh porcini but when they're out of season you can also find dried ones from Italy at your local Italian market. Make sure to check the back of the label to see the country of origin. If you can't find them or they're out of your budget, replace them with another type. For example, fresh chanterelle are available a large part of the year and make a great substitute. Tagliatelle with porcini mushrooms is a traditional first course of Italian cuisine loved and spread all over the world.

This fettuccine recipe is so good, I keep coming back to it every few weeks regardless of the time of year. It's super important not to overcook the porcini or they will become chewy. Avoid overcooking them by removing the pan from the heat or even the mushrooms from the pan with a slotted spoon. Add extra virgin olive oil, butter, and garlic to a medium-large pan and place on low heat. Once the cloves are golden blonde remove them. Add the mushrooms and increase heat to high. Cook for three minutes, stirring regularly. Add salt and freshly cracked black pepper to taste. Remove pan from heat and add finely chopped parsley. The sauce is done.

Ingredients

salt

freshly cracked black pepper

2 sprigs parsley

3 cloves garlic

2 tbsp butter

5 tbsp extra virgin olive oil

1/3 cup parmigiano reggiano

300 grams fresh porcini mushrooms (or 40 grams dried)

350 grams fettuccine 

Directions

Place dried porcini mushrooms in a medium bowl and cover well with water. Soak for 60 to 90 minutes to rehydrate. Feel the mushrooms with your hands, they should be soft at the touch. If they still feel brittle or hard leave to soak. Place a strainer over a large pot. Place a paper towel (or cheesecloth) inside the strainer to catch small particles. Pour the porcini mushrooms and water over the strainer. The paper towel should catch the small particles. Strain again if the water is too gritty. Set the porcini aside. Add more water to the pot and use porcini water to boil the pasta. Continue with the recipe below.

Bring a large pot of water to boil. Add salt, the water should taste like the sea. Using the side of a large knife smash the garlic and remove skin. Cut mushrooms into 1” size pieces. (Only cut dried porcini mushrooms if in very large pieces). Add extra virgin olive oil, butter, and garlic to a medium-large pan and place on low heat. Once the cloves are golden blonde remove them. Add the mushrooms to the pan and increase heat to high. Cook for 3 minutes, stirring regularly. Add salt and freshly cracked black pepper to taste. Remove pan from heat and add finely chopped parsley. The sauce is done. Add fettuccine to boiling water and cook 1 minute less than al dente cooking instructions. Reserve some pasta water. Turn sauce to medium, then add pasta. Stir for 30s. Then add ½ ladle pasta water. Turn heat to high and stir continuously. If the pasta and sauce start to get dry add pasta water ½ ladle at a time. Cook for the remaining 1 minute. Continue to stir. Remove from heat, then add parmigiano. Continue to stir to incorporate the cheese. Plate and serve immediately.