Creamy Mushroom Pasta
Creamy mushroom pasta is a rich, comforting dish. It is usually made with al dente pasta coated in a silky cream-based sauce with sautéed mushrooms such as button mushrooms or ceps. Garlic, shallots and sometimes red wine lift the flavours, while grated Parmesan adds an indulgent finish. It is often scattered with fresh parsley for a note of freshness.
Ingredients
- 750 g mushrooms
- unsalted butter
- 1 shallot
- chopped garlic
- 360 ml beef, chicken or vegetable stock
- 200 ml red wine
- 100 ml balsamic vinegar
- 2 tbsp crème fraîche
- Thyme, rosemary, chives
- Cornflour
Method
- Slice the mushrooms and set aside.
- Butter a saucepan and colour the shallots.
- Add three quarters of the sliced mushrooms. The rest goes in at the end so the sauce keeps some bite. You can also add them all at this stage.
- Over high heat, reduce the mushrooms with 3 large pinches of salt. Let them reduce for 10 minutes.Mushrooms are full of water, and that water would dilute the flavours of the sauce. It has to evaporate before you add any other liquid.
- When the mushrooms have shrunk, add the chopped garlic, the thyme and the rosemary. Stir for 30 seconds.
- Add the balsamic vinegar.
- Add the red wine.
- Reduce the red wine over high heat so the alcohol can evaporate.
- Add the stock.
- Turn the heat to medium. Season with salt and pepper.
- Slake the cornflour with water first. Added dry it would leave lumps in the sauce; diluting it avoids that.Pour the mixture into the sauce in several additions, stirring constantly, until you reach the right texture — neither too thin nor too thick.
- Add the crème fraîche until the sauce reaches the colour you want.
- Finish with a good knob of butter and stir. This adds silkiness to the sauce.
- Finish with chives.
- (Add the remaining mushrooms and cook for 7-8 minutes over medium heat.)
- Plate up.
