Mario Matassa’s mushroom tagliatelle recipe is full of flavour and made with passion. Try it for yourself!
Recipe, words and photo © Mario Matassa
Italians will go the extra mile for mushrooms. I know. I’ve broken a car exhaust, a collar bone and almost my neck in the pursuit of them. But, as anyone who loves good food and has tasted wild mushrooms will know, it’s worth the pain.
A hearty mix of mushrooms is the key to this mushroom tagliatelle recipe’s rich flavour. Mushrooms will also elevate your soups and stews to another level and, coupled with tomatoes, they make a perfect pasta sauce. I could go on.
Over the past 15 years, I’ve amassed as many recipes as blisters on my feet! My children are always treated to a bowl of tagliatelle with porcini and finerli (chanterelles) at the opening of every season. It’s become a tradition.
It’s June as I write this. It has rained heavily over the past weeks. The sun has come out and the moon is moving in the right direction. Perfect conditions for a trip to the woods. This year I’m going to gift my two sons a pair of boots each, take them for a walk and show them what all the fuss is about.
P.S. Mushrooms are very exchangeable: you can pick and mix. The only two hard and fast rules are:
- Don’t wash your mushrooms under running water; use a brush and a damp cloth.
- Don’t ever pick mushrooms to eat unless you know what you’re doing!
Tagliatelle with fresh porcini and chanterelles | Tagliatelle con funghi porcini e finferli
➤ SERVES: 4
➤ PREPARATION: 10 minutes
➤ COOKING: 15 minutes
Ingredients:
- 300g fresh porcini
- 250g chanterelles
- 1 clove of garlic
- Olive oil
- Salt and fresh ground black pepper
- 400g tagliatelle pasta (dried or homemade)
- 50g grated parmesan
- A handful of fresh parsley, finely chopped
Method:
- Clean the mushrooms with a damp cloth and slice. Peel and chop the garlic. Heat a couple of tablespoons of olive oil in a large frying pan and add the finely chopped garlic. Cook gently for about a minute and then add the mushrooms. Give the mix a good stir, season with salt and pepper and continue cooking on a moderate heat. You don’t want to brown the mushrooms, just cook them through. It will take about 10 minutes.
- In the meantime, bring a large pot of water to the boil. Add a good handful of salt and then throw in the pasta. Depending on whether you are using fresh or dried tagliatelle, it should only take a few minutes to cook. Using a slotted pasta fork, add the pasta to the pan with the mushrooms. Also add a ladle of the cooking water. Mix well and add the parmesan.
- Divide the pasta evenly into 4 bowls. Drizzle generously with extra-virgin olive oil, a sprinkling of fresh parsley, and serve.
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