Pappardelle ai Funghi Recipe | How to Make Italian Porcini Mushroom Pasta
Throughout all of Italy, the advent of autumn means it’s time to enjoy one of the best pasta dishes in the country: pappardelle ai funghi. Every family has its own way of pairing fresh ribbon pasta with porcini mushrooms, so we’ve chosen to share our own. This is Papa Turi’s recipe: a treasure for those who know what a prolific porcini hunter he is.
Porcini Mushrooms & Substitutes
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!
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PAPPARDELLE AI FUNGHI RECIPE
Makes: 4 servings
Cook Time: 20 minutes
For this recipe, you will need:
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
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.
Buon appetito!
You’ll need some fresh egg pasta to make this recipe, so why not try making your own? If you enjoy this dish, you might want to try this mushroom ragù recipe next!