We’ve been eating Gemelli pasta with Porcini mushrooms all winter. This pasta is just the right combination of earthy and creamy. It is the kind of pasta that mushroom lovers dream about. Our porcini mushrooms from Borgo Val di Taro are really the star of this dish.
SERVES: 5-6
TIME: 35 minutes
Ingredients
- Gemelli Faella (500 gr/1.1 lbs)
- Dry porcini mushrooms (100 gr/ 3.5 oz)
- Butter, 3 tablespoons
- EVOO, 2 tablespoons
- Onion, 1 medium-sized, finely chopped
- Vacche Rosse Cheese, 1 1/2 cups
- Parsley, 2 tablespoons, freshly chopped
- Sea Salt
- Black pepper
Preparation
- Coarsely break the bigger pieces of Dried Porcini Mushrooms with your hands and soak them for 20 minutes in 4 cups of warm water.
- Set rehydrated Porcini aside and keep Porcini soaking water*.
- Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil.
- In a pan, heat the butter over medium-low heat and add the onions. Cook until translucent (about 3 minutes).
- Put the Porcini in the pan, add 1 tablespoon of EVOO and some porcini water (approximately 1/2 cup). Cook uncovered for about 10 minutes.
- Meanwhile, cook Gemelli more al dente than usual (about 6 minutes). Drain the pasta, saving 1 cup of cooking pasta water.
- Toss Gemelli, grated cheese, and 1 cup of pasta water into the pan. Sauté over medium-high heat for about 3 minutes, pouring in another tablespoon of EVOO.
- Remove from the heat. Add parsley, black pepper, and stir.
- Serve immediately, grating some more cheese on each plate.
*Here’s a tip: the Porcini water can be used to enrich anything from risotti, to stews, to soups.