Mushroom Pasta

Mushroom Pasta CHOOSE PASTA 200g / 7 oz short pasta like orecchiette, penne, macaroni (Note 1) 160g/6 oz long pasta - spaghetti, fettucine (Note 1) GARLIC BUTTER MUSHROOMS FOR PASTA 400g / 14 oz mushrooms , sliced 1/2 cm / 1/5" thick (Note 2) 50g / 3 tbsp unsalted butter , separated 1 tbsp olive oil 2 garlic cloves , finely minced 1/2 tsp each salt and pepper 1/2 cup freshly grated parmesan cheese (or 1/4 cup store bought grated) TO SERVE Parsley , finely chopped Parmesan cheese , grated PASTA Bring a large pot of salted water to the boil. Add the pasta into the pot when you start cooking the mushrooms. Cook pasta per packet instructions minus 1 minute. RESERVE 1 mugful of pasta cooking liquid, then drain pasta. MUSHROOMS Melt half butter and all oil in a large skillet over heat. Add mushrooms and cook until water has leeched then evaporated, and the mushrooms start to turn golden around edges - around 5 minutes. Halfway through cooking, add salt & pepper. Add garlic and remaining butter, cook for 2 minutes until mushrooms and garlic are golden. Add pasta, about 3/4 cup of reserved pasta water and parmesan. Toss gently or until water reduces and thickens into a saucy glaze that coats the pasta. If the pasta dries out, add more pasta water. Taste and add more salt and pepper if needed. Remove from stove and serve immediately, garnished with fresh parsley and parmesan cheese. Notes: 1. Pasta - you need slightly more if using short pasta for equivalent serving size. Pictured in post: spaghetti and orecchiette. Orecchiette are shaped like mini bowls and are sold at all major supermarkets in Australia, same price as more common pastas. I like using them for mushroom pasta because I like to scoop up the pasta with the mushrooms - also fabulous with this Sausage Pasta in creamy tomato sauce. 2. Mushrooms - any slicable type fine here. Fabulous with plain button mushrooms, extra good with Swiss Brown/Cremini. 3. Variations: Thyme also goes really well with this pasta because mushrooms + thyme = best mates. Sometimes I will add a splash of cream to the mushrooms, but it's not a make or break, just a "nice to have when you're feeling indulgent". 4. Butter - I provide a range for butter quantities because - well, the more the better. But the minimum is 2 tbsp of butter + 1 tbsp olive oil, otherwise the pasta starts to get dry. No need to measure accurately, just eye ball it! 5. Reheating - Pasta always dries out when refrigerated overnight. For the best reheating option, reserve about 1/4 cup of pasta cooking water. Sprinkle cold pasta with 2 tbsp, then microwave reheat, toss well. Resurrected to near perfect juiciness!