Pasta w/ Wild Mushrooms & Roasted Garlic

Serves 4

Ingredients

Mushroom Stock

  • stems from 6 oz assorted wild mushrooms
  • 1 carrot, diced
  • 2 celery stalks, diced
  • 1 onion, diced
  • water to cover

Roasted Garlic Paste

  • 1 head garlic, cloves peeled
  • canola oil to cover garlic (about 1 cup)

Mushroom Pasta

  • ¼ cup canola oil
  • 1 shallot, peeled & sliced
  • 2 cloves garlic, sliced
  • 6 oz assorted wild mushrooms, cleaned & sliced
  • 1 tbsp thyme leaves
  • 2 cups Mushroom Stock (see above) or vegetable stock
  • 2 tbsp Marsala wine
  • 2 tbsp Roasted Garlic Paste (see above)
  • ¼ cup grated Romano cheese
  • 4 tbsp unsalted butter
  • salt & pepper
  • 12 oz pasta (fresh tagliatelle recommended)

To Finish

  • grated Romano or Parmesan cheese (optional)
  • extra virgin olive oil to drizzle (optional)

How-to

Make Mushroom Stock & Roasted Garlic Paste

  1. Add ingredients to a medium stock pot and cover with water
  2. Simmer 30 minutes, strain off stock and set aside
  3. Meanwhile, in small sauce pan, add peeled garlic cloves
  4. Cover with canola oil and bring to a light simmer over low heat
  5. Lightly simmer 30 minutes, or until light brown in color
  6. Strain oil (reserve and use in cooking!) and process garlic cloves into a paste using a food processor (you can also mash them in a mortar and pestle). Set aside

Cook Mushroom Pasta

  1. Bring a salted pot of water to a light boil
  2. Heat a "sautoir" pan (sauté pan w/ straight sides) to medium-high and add oil
  3. Add shallots, garlic, and mushrooms and stir until light brown, about 2 minutes
  4. Add thyme. Adjust heat so the mushrooms sear and roast without burning
  5. Deglaze with marsala wine and remove from heat until steam disappears before returning to the heat. Reduce until the liquid is mostly gone
  6. Add most of the stock and bring to a simmer. Add garlic paste, Romano cheese and butter. Reduce until sauce coats the back of a spoon, about 1 minute
  7. Add the pasta to the boiling water and cook until tender. If using dried pasta, cook according to package directions. Strain then add pasta to the mushroom sauce, tossing so that the pasta is fully covered in sauce. The pasta will absorb the sauce, so adjust the consistency with more stock if needed. You may also add more cheese to thicken, as well. Season to taste
  8. Garnish with additional Romano cheese and extra virgin olive oil if desired