Quick pasta dishes don’t always require tomato sauce from a jar. The olive oil and butter in this recipe provides silky texture and great taste while allowing the flavors of the other ingredients to shine through. That’s important in this dish, which highlights the wintry, woodsy flavors so welcome now.
While this dish calls for a little bacon and some fresh-grated Parmesan cheese, it also can be completely vegan. Skip the meat and forgo the cheese. Do use a little of the pasta water to finish the dish–the starch adds a little more body.
This dish serves two as a main course, or four as a first course in the Italian style. Roast pork or lamb would make a lovely second course.
Tips
Substitute white button mushrooms for the shiitake.
Cream or half-and-half can be added to the dish for extra richness.
Beverage pairing
A pinot noir from the Pacific Northwest would be perfect. Or consider sparkling water with lemon.wdaley@tribune.com
Menu
Tossed salad
Woodsy mushroom pasta
Italian bread
Lemon cake
Woodsy mushroom pasta
Preparation time: 15 minutes
Cooking time: 18 minutes
Yield: 4 servings
1/2 pound spaghetti
1 tablespoon olive oil
2 slices bacon, chopped
3 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 pound fresh shiitake or white button mushrooms, stemmed, sliced
2 tablespoons butter
1/3 cup chopped parsley
1/4 cup toasted pine nuts, see note
1/2 teaspoon truffle oil, optional
1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
1. Heat a stockpot with salted water; add spaghetti. Cook to al dente according to package directions, about 10-13 minutes. Meanwhile, heat oil in a skillet over medium heat; add bacon. Cook, stirring often, until golden and crisp, about 4 minutes. Add garlic; cook, stirring, 1 minute. Add mushrooms; cook, stirring occasionally, until softened, about 4 minutes.
2. Drain pasta, reserving 1 cup of the pasta water; transfer pasta to a large bowl. Pour enough of the pasta water into the mushroom mixture to make a sauce; cook, stirring, to dislodge any flavorful browned bits from the pan, about 1 minute. Stir in butter.
3. Add mushroom mixture to pasta; toss. Sprinkle with parsley and pine nuts. Drizzle truffle oil over the pasta; toss. Pass the grated cheese at the table.
Note: Toast the pine nuts in a small, dry skillet over medium heat. Shake the pan occasionally as the nuts brown; don’t let them burn.
Nutrition information per serving:
431 calories, 39% of calories from fat, 19 g fat, 6 g saturated fat, 23 mg cholesterol, 53 g carbohydrates, 13 g protein, 197 mg sodium, 4 g fiber
