Italian Porcini Mushroom Pasta - Pappardelle ai Funghi

Name: Italian Porcini Mushroom Pasta - Pappardelle ai Funghi
Cuisine: Italian
Ingredients: 4 tablespoons (60 ml) extra-virgin olive oil; 1 clove garlic, peeled; 1 or 2 dried chili peppers, chopped; 1 pound (450 g) fresh porcini mushrooms, cut into 1 inch (2.5 cm) cubes; Fresh black pepper; ⅓ cup (80 ml) tomato puree; Salt; 4 servings of fresh pappardelle pasta

Ingredients

4 tablespoons (60 ml) extra-virgin olive oil
1 clove garlic, peeled
1 or 2 dried chili peppers, chopped
1 pound (450 g) fresh porcini mushrooms, cut into 1 inch (2.5 cm) cubes
Fresh black pepper
⅓ cup (80 ml) tomato puree
Salt
4 servings of fresh pappardelle pasta

Instructions

Put a large pot of water on to boil. While it comes up to temp, you can begin to make the sauce.
Heat the olive oil, garlic clove and chopped chili pepper in a large pan over medium heat until the garlic starts to sizzle. Add the mushrooms, a generous sprinkle of black pepper, and sauté for 2-3 minutes. Add the tomato puree, bring the sauce to a gentle simmer, cover the pan and cook for 10 minutes. Turn off the heat while the pasta cooks.
When the pot of water comes to a rolling boil, salt it generously. Add the fresh pappardelle and boil for 2-3 minutes, until al dente to your taste. Use tongs to transfer the cooked pasta into the sauce, along with a few spoonfuls of pasta water. Stir all together over medium/high heat until the pasta is completely coated in sauce.
Serve immediately, topped with plenty of extra mushrooms and sauce from the pan.

Notes

This pasta is best made with fresh porcini mushrooms, which aren’t always easy to find. You can substitute them with dried porcini, if necessary. If you do so, you’ll want to use about 3 ounces (85 g) of dried mushrooms. Soak them in warm water for at least 20 minutes in advance. The water used to soak them is full of flavor, so we highly recommend not throwing it away. Filter it through a cheesecloth and you can spoon some of it into the pan while finishing the sauce instead of just using pasta water. Extra mushroom flavor!