Woodsman’s Pasta

Make the hearty mushroom Woodsman’s Pasta as featured on Escape to the Farm. It’s the perfect dinner after a hard day!

Serves 4

If you are lucky enough to find some fresh wild mushrooms, then these could replace or be used alongside the chestnut mushrooms in this recipe. You’re after roughly 250g-400g of fresh mushrooms in total for this recipe.

Ingredients

• 25g dried porcini mushrooms
• 300g chestnut mushrooms, finely chopped
• 1 small onion, finely diced
• 125g – 150g pancetta or smoked bacon, cubed
• 4 cloves garlic, finely chopped
• 4 sprigs thyme, leaves only
• 100ml white wine
• 400ml passata
• 500g rigatoni or penne rigate, or any other ridged tubed pasta
• 150ml double cream
• olive oil
• sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

to serve

• small handful chopped parsley
• freshly grated parmesan

Method

1. Put the dried mushrooms into a mug and just cover with boiling water (about 200ml). Leave to one side to rehydrate.
2. Heat a large sauté pan over a medium heat. Add a glug of oil then fry the fresh mushrooms with a good pinch of salt until they are starting to colour.
3. Add the onion and pancetta and continue to cook over a medium heat until the onions are translucent.
4. Stir in the garlic and thyme leaves and cook for a further minute or two until flavoursome.
5. Remove the now rehydrated dried mushrooms from their soaking liquor. Reserve the liquid. Roughly chop the mushrooms. The liquid can be used to thin out the sauce if needed. Or will be great in other recipes such as gravies, stews, sauces, soups etc.
6. Meanwhile, bring a large saucepan of water to the boil for the pasta. Season well with salt.
7. Pour the white wine into the sauté pan and bring to the boil. Simmer for 2-3 minutes to reduce and burn off the alcohol then add the passata and the rehydrated mushrooms. Stir to mix, season well and simmer for 10 minutes whilst the pasta cooks.
8. Boil the pasta until cooked to your liking.
9. Once the pasta is almost cooked, stir the cream into the sauce.
10. Taste and adjust the seasoning.

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