Wild Mushroom Alfredo

I developed this recipe on the fly earlier this month, and it turned out so well, I thought I should record it here. It was for a special family occasion, and began as a wild mushroom risotto, but I decided I didn’t want to spend so much time stirring the risotto and opted for fettuccini. I used fresh baby portabellas, dried chanterelles, maitake (also known as hen-of-the-woods), and porcini mushrooms.

Porcinis (boletus edulis), known in English as King Boletes, are considered throughout the Slavic world as the best mushroom–and I cook with them often. All three of the dried mushrooms I used can be found at Whole Foods. They are pricey at the store, though, which is why I buy them in bulk from one of their sources, Forest Mushrooms, Inc. My porcini for this recipe, though, were from the Carpathian mountains in Ukraine, and were a present from my brother-in-law Igor, and are extra special. I think any mixture would do: the point is to develop as much mushroom flavor as possible, hence the mushroom stock cubes (you could also use mushroom powder). We served the dish with grilled scampi and asparagus, but it would be good as a main dish, or with any kind of grilled meat, poultry, fish, or vegetables.

Ingredients

1 pound fresh baby portabella mushrooms, quartered
2 ounces each of assorted wild mushrooms.
1.5 cups chopped shallots (2-3 medium, 1-2 large)
4-5 cloves garlic, minced
2-3 cubes concentrated mushroom stock
1 pint heavy cream
1.5 cups shredded parmesan cheese
1 10-12 oz. package organic arugula (or fresh if you have it), roughly chopped.
1.5 pounds fettuccini
butter
olive oil
salt and pepper to taste.

Recipe

1. Rehydrate the dried mushrooms by placing in saucepan, filling with water to cover, and bringing to a brisk boil. Cover and set aside.
2. Brown fresh mushrooms in olive oil (you won’t need much–just to keep them from sticking) in large sauté pan. Take care not to add salt, which will allow the mushrooms to retain their moisture and shape.
3. When mushrooms are cooked, add shallots and sauté until translucent.
4. While shallots are cooking, drain the rehydrated mushrooms, reserving the liquid. Tear the chanterelles and maitake mushrooms and rough chop the porcini and add to sauté pan. Cook 2-3 minutes and add garlic. Add butter and sauté for another 2-3 minutes.
5. Add reserved mushroom stock, and set to simmer, adding liquid as necessary to keep them submerged–about 20 minutes.
6. Meanwhile, bring 6 quarts water to boil, add preferred amount of salt. Add fettuccini to boiling water and cook until al dente.
7. Add 1-pint heavy cream to mushroom sauce and bring to very low simmer.
8. When pasta is done, reserve 1.5 cups pasta water, and drain. Add drained pasta to mushroom cream mixture, along with 1.5 cups shredded parmesan cheese, and begin incorporating pasta with mushroom sauce.
9. Add the arugula in large handfuls as you stir pasta. Add pasta water as needed to develop sauce. Season to taste and serve.

Serves 10-12 as ample side dish, 8-10 as main course.

Image of Boletus edulis in header image from: Jakub Młynarczyk (https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Boletus_edulis,_Grzyby_prawdziwki_borowiki.jpg)