THIS linguini with mushrooms and mascarpone is one of those recipes that is ridiculously simple but yields a result that is sophisticated enough for a dinner party yet cheap enough for a midweek evening meal.
It oozes an almost beefy mushroom flavour (making it enjoyable for meat-eaters and vegetarians alike) that is beautifully offset by the parsley and the wine.
Needless to say, you can use any pasta you like but fatter pasta such as linguini or tagliatelle go best with this sauce.
This recipe serves four, so simply halve the measurements if you’re serving two or add 50 per cent if serving six. Tips: don’t stint on the parsley, make sure your serving bowls are warm and serve with crusty bread.
INGREDIENTS
30 grams porcini dried mushrooms
120 mls of sweet white wine (marsala, tokay or even sherry)
120 mls water
250 g mascarpone
Nutmeg
Pepper
6 tablespoons of chopped parsley (curly or flat-leaf)
500 grams pasta
2 tablespoon of unsalted butter
2 cloves of garlic
6-8 tablespoons of freshly grated parmesan cheese (according to taste)
METHOD
Put the dried porcini in a small saucepan, pour in the wine and water and bring to the boil. As soon as the mixture starts to bubble, turn the heat off and allow to cool a bit (about 10 minutes).
Put mascarpone into a bowl, top with black pepper and a grating of nutmeg. Then remove the mushrooms from the pan with a slotted spoon and place on a chopping board. Pour the remaining mushroom liquid into the mascarpone bowl and mix well.
Place parsley on top of the mushrooms and chop both coarsely.
Melt butter in a large, hot frying pan, peel then crush the garlic and add to the pan. Cook for about 60 seconds, then add the mushrooms and parsley. Cook for three minutes before adding the mascarpone mixture. Turn the heat down to the gentlest of simmers.
Now cook the pasta according to its instructions. When ready, reserve a couple of tablespoons of the pasta water. Drain the pasta and place it in the frying pan containing the mushroom and mascarpone mixture. Add the pasta water if the sauce is too thick.
Finally, add the parmesan and mix through before serving in warmed bowls, adding extra parsley on top of each served portion.
Buon appetito!