Dreamy Creamy Mushroom Pasta
Equipment:
- 12" Skillet
- Large Pot (to cook pasta)
- Colander
- Sharp Knife & Chopping Board
- Wooden Spoon
- Jug (for stock)
Ingredients (check list):
- 12.3oz / 350g Conchiglie (or pasta of choice)
- 9oz / 250g Mushrooms of choice, sliced (see notes)
- 2 tbsp Unsalted Butter
- 1 cup / 250ml Heavy Cream, at room temp
- 1 cup / 250ml Chicken Stock
- 1/2 cup / 40g freshly grated Parmesan, (plus extra to serve)
- 2 tbsp Fresh Parsley, finely diced (plus extra to serve)
- 2 tbsp Fresh Chives, finely diced
- 1 tsp Garlic, minced
- Salt & Black Pepper, to taste
- Olive Oil, as needed
Instructions:
- Add a drizzle of oil to a suitably sized pan and begin frying mushrooms over medium heat. Once they brown on one side, flip them over until they get nice and brown on the other. It's important to get a nice char on each side of the mushroom to intensify the mushroom flavour. Don't just chuck them in a stir around, this will steam them and leave you with weak flavour. (see notes)
- Season with a pinch of salt and pepper, then melt in butter and add garlic. Fry for a minute or so, then pour in chicken stock.
- Allow the stock to simmer until it’s reduced by nearly half, then pour in your cream. Stir to fully incorporate, then add chives, parsley and a heavy pinch of salt & pepper (season well to bring out the best in this simple sauce). Allow to simmer a little longer until it begins to thicken (it will thicken, just keep it simmering).
- Meanwhile, pop your pasta in salted boiling water and cook until al dente. Retain a cup of starchy pasta water.
- When the sauce begins to thicken, stir in parmesan, then add pasta. If the sauce thickens too much, add a splash of pasta water to thin out slightly. You might not need to do this. If the sauce is still quite thin, continue to simmer and stir until it thickens.
- Serve with a heavy sprinkling of parmesan and parsley!
- Quick 1 min demo!
Notes:
- a) Mushrooms - For this recipe I usually use Chestnut Mushrooms. Shiitake Mushrooms (with the stalks removed) also go really well. But you can really add any variety you like.
- b) Browning the mushrooms - In order to get the most flavour out of your mushrooms, it's important to get a nice browning on them.
- - Firstly, make sure the pan isn't overcrowded, this will cause the mushrooms to steam instead of fry, reducing their ability to take on colour. Fry in batches if needed.
- - Secondly, ensure you don't keep moving them about. Allow the mushrooms to keep contact with the pan for a good amount of time before you stir them about.
- - Thirdly, only add salt after they've browned. Adding salt to the mushrooms will extract moisture and again encourages steaming instead of browning.
- c) Herbs - I did actually play around with different herbs in this recipe and both Thyme and/or Tarragon work really well. I've kept this recipe without either because it's a great base recipe and tastes delicious as it is. Adding either of these herbs do change the taste quite considerably, but feel free to add if you're confident you'll enjoy the addition. In both instances, just a small amount will work fine.
- d) Parmesan - Ensure it's freshly grated (or grated in the bag) the powdery stuff will turn the sauce grainy.
- e) Calories - Based on using 1 tbsp Olive Oil for frying and divided by 4:
- This Recipe adapted from >>>> Click Here