The temptation to go Italian has increased dramatically after the arrival of a new and rather expensive Italian supermarket in the Village. One advantage of having a Prezzemolo & Vitale branch a few minutes walk away is that it is so easy to find the different types of pasta that recipes recommend.
This dish has been our favourite simple supper for most of the past year. Of course you don’t have to use bucatini if it is hard to locate. Spaghetti or another long thin pasta would surely do as well.
INGREDIENTS
150g bucatini
1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
250g pack chestnut mushrooms, sliced
3 tsp garlic purée (or 3 cloves of garlic, crushed)
Small bunch of flat leaf parsley, washed and chopped, plus extra to sprinkle
4 tbsp white wine, such as Chardonnay
2 tsp Porcini mushroom powder
200ml tub half fat crème fraîche
METHOD
Bring a saucepan of salted water to the boil. Lower in the pasta and cook for ten minutes or until tender.
While the pasta is cooking, heat the oil in a frying pan. Then add the mushrooms and fry for about three minutes, turning frequently until beginning to brown. Add the garlic and cook for one minute.
Stir in the chopped parsley, wine, mushroom powder and crème fraîche. Season to taste. Heat through gently, stirring for one minute.
Drain the pasta and return to the pan and tip in the contents of the frying pan. Pile into shallow bowls and serve scattered with extra parsley.
Simple, but deliciously indulgent – what more could one ask of a supper after a long day.
LADY LEWIS 