Local Wild Mushroom Fettuccine

Bring a large pot of generously-salted (salt is very important as this dish is so simple) water to a boil and cook pasta to just under al dente according to package instructions. If the package says 9 minutes, take it out around 7 minutes. Reserve 1 cup of the starchy pasta water before draining the pasta in a strainer. Set the water and the pasta aside.

In a dry, heavy-bottom skillet set over medium-high heat, brown mushrooms in batches until golden and crisp. I browned each variety of mushroom on its own as they may have different moisture levels. It should take about 6-7 minutes per batch to get them nice and golden.

Once all your mushrooms have been browned, remove everything from the pan. Add the butter and olive oil to the pan and let it get shimmering and hot. Add the garlic and let it cook until fragrant, 1 minute. Add the mushrooms, parsley and red pepper flakes and saute until everything is combined, 1-2 minutes. Remove from heat.

Add pasta back into the large pot. Scoop the mushroom mixture into the pasta, making sure to really scrape all the good bits from the pan. Add the Parmesan cheese and 1/4 cup of starchy water and toss everything together. If it’s too dry, add more water a little at a time until you’ve got a nice, loose mushroom sauce coating all the noodles. Taste for seasoning and add salt if needed.

Garnish each serving with pine nuts, extra Parmesan cheese, parsley and fresh ground pepper.

Adapted from Bon Appetit, October 2007.