Penne ai funghi (Penne with Mushroom Sauce)

Name: Penne ai funghi (Penne with Mushroom Sauce)
Yield: 1 serving
Ingredients: 500 g 1 lb penne; 100 g 3-1/2 oz pancetta, cubed; 1 or 2 garlic clove; 250 g 8 oz mushrooms, roughly chopped (see Notes); A fresh sage leaf and a sprig of parsley; 250 ml 1 cup passata di pomodoro or crushed canned tomatoes; salt and pepper; olive oil

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Course
Main Course, Soup

Penne ai funghi (Penne with Mushroom Sauce)

Iris Warren

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Crafted with ease and taste in mind, this recipe is a great choice.

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Ingredients

500 g 1 lb penne
100 g 3-1/2 oz pancetta, cubed
1 or 2 garlic clove slightly crushed and peeled
250 g 8 oz mushrooms, roughly chopped (see Notes)
A fresh sage leaf and a sprig of parsley finely chopped
250 ml 1 cup passata di pomodoro or crushed canned tomatoes
salt and pepper
olive oil

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Instructions

The choice of mushroom up to your. Fresh funghi porcini would, of course, be ideal. On this late summer evening I used a store-bought mix of Baby Bella, oyster and shiitake mushrooms that worked very well. Reconstituted dried porcini or other mushrooms would also work fine (in which case you should add the mushroom water to the sauce and let it reduce along with the tomatoes).
In a pinch, you can even use button mushrooms, but your penne ai funghi will obviously be less interesting. One trick (not my own, but one I read about in one of Marcella Hazan's books) is to mix button mushrooms with reconstituted dried mushrooms: you first add the dried mushrooms to saute with the soffritto, then the chopped button mushrooms, then the filtered water in which you have soaked the dried mushrooms. Allow the mushroom water to evaporate. The button mushrooms will absorb the intensely mushroom-y flavor of the dried mushrooms and their liquid, turning them into a fair facsimile of wild mushrooms in the process.
If you want a vegan version of penne ai funghi, simply omit the pancetta.
The fresh sage lends a lovely subtle flavor to the sauce, but even better would be nepitella, an herb that is often described as a cross between basil and mint and sometimes called "mint thyme" in English. It is often paired with mushrooms in Italy but, as far as I am aware, not commonly found elsewhere.
This mushroom sauce also goes very nicely with fresh egg pasta, in particular with pappardelle or fettuccine. This dish is not served with grated cheese.