Tagliatelle alla Boscaiola (Woodsman’s Pasta)

This pasta recipe is one of my all time favourites. In different regions of Italy you will see it made with heavy cream or tomato sauce but I prefer the in bianco version i.e. just an olive oil base. The mushrooms in the sauce are so flavourful that you don’t need anything else to confuse the taste. I do add a hint of truffle oil to complement the porcini mushrooms. The name comes from the word Boscaiolo – referring to a forestor or woodsman, indicating where the main ingredient mushrooms come from.

I made this last weekend for some friends, well not just any friends – foodies and a chef! Needless to say, I was very intimidated and struggled with the menu all week. I decided to stick with home-style recipes that I loved instead of trying to impress with chef-worthy creations. After all, I am not a chef and no amount of cooking or blogging will change that.

This very debate came up that evening – why is everyone trying to cook like a chef instead of just making good food with great ingredients? The chef in attendance had a valid point – he wouldn’t be expected to build a bridge like my husband the engineer so why should non-chefs try and cook like a chef? Chefs cook for a living, they spend unlimited hours on ideation and creation and have been trained to do so. The explosive foodie trend has made it intimidating to cook but the word simply denotes an amateur who loves to eat and drink. Cooking shouldn’t be terrifying but a simple exercise in nourishing yourself and your family in a wholesome way. If I think about my favourite foods they are all easy, cheap, and accessible – the food I grew up on, not the food of five-star restaurants. So let’s get back to cooking for the sake of our health and our cultures.

P.s. The chef had seconds of my pasta so I guess simple food works!

Tagliatelle alla Boscaiola

Serves 6

• 3 garlic cloves, finely chopped
• Couple big splashes of good quality olive oil, plus extra for when dressing the pasta
• 1 cup of pancetta, sliced or diced
• 2 cups fresh mushrooms, chopped (bella, chanterelles, or any type you like)
• 2 cup dried porcini mushrooms, rehydrated in tepid water for a 1/2 hour (discard the initial water as it may contain sediment and add more tepid water that you save for later)
• 1 cup dry white wine
• 1 mushrooom boullion (can be found in Italian specialty stores, if not use vegetable), dissolved in a little boiling water – This is a trick that my aunt in Italy taught me years ago, it really heightens the flavour
• Splash of Truffle Oil (should not overpower sauce)
• Salt to taste
• grated parmiggiano cheese and chopped fresh parsley for garnish
• 750 grams of tagliatelle pasta (or use whatever type of pasta you like)

Saute the garlic in olive oil until fragrant, about 30 seconds.Add the pancetta and cook until slightly crispy. Next, add the fresh mushrooms and cook for a few minutes. Add the dried mushrooms with the water, wine, and bouillon. Saute on medium heat until liquid reduces and thickens (about 10 minutes). Splash mushroom mixture with truffle oil and taste to see how much salt to add. Meanwhile cook the pasta according to package directions. Add cooked pasta to mushroom saute with a slotted spoon. Mix in some more olive oil to amalgamate the mixture (you can also add a ladle-full of the pasta water if you see that it needs more liquid). Before serving sprinkle with parsley and parmiggiano.

Enjoy!

Natasha

~ by Natasha Chandler on January 13, 2012.