Otherwise known as woodsman (or woodswoman?) style penne pasta. This is one of my all-time favorites that I whipped up after eating it in a local restaurant. Afterwards, I went looking for recipes and found so many versions, some including pancetta, some onions, some without cream or without peas, etc., that I really don’t know which version would be the “authentic” one. In any event, this is the one I put together based on the dish I ate.

To make this, I use dried Porcini mushrooms. I actually prefer cooking with the dried mushrooms because, after soaking them in warm water, you get a flavorful liquid that really adds to the dish. So, I always keep a few packages on hand. They’re great in pasta and risotto dishes.

That being said, you could probably use any kind of mushroom in this dish although I would hesitate to use the common white “champignon” mushrooms. A hearty mushroom with a woodsy flavor is best. In fact, Morels might work very nicely although I haven’t tried making this dish with them myself.

Since there are just the two of us (for now), this recipe is made for two. Although, I have to admit that we usually have left overs and you could certainly feed three with the amount we’ll make here.

Ingredients

30 grams dried porcini mushrooms (about 1 oz.)
1 cup very warm water
200 grams (7 oz) penne pasta
2 cloves garlic, crushed
1 TB olive oil
1/2 cup dry red wine
1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley
1 1/2 cups canned chopped or crushed tomatoes (but not tomato sauce, you want it to be chunky)
1/2 cup cream
1 cup fresh or frozen peas
salt

About an hour before you need to start cooking, set the dried porcini mushrooms in the cup of very warm water.

Skip one hour ahead….

Remove the mushrooms from the water, but don’t discard the water. Instead, strain it and conserve it. Unfortunately, even though cleaned and dried, Porcini mushrooms often have some grit with them, so straining the water is a must. I like to use a coffee filter placed inside a funnel for this. Then, rinse off the mushrooms and roughly chop them.

Start heating the salted water for your pasta. In the meantime, in a large frying pan or saltapasta, heat the olive oil over medium-high heat, throw in the crushed garlic, the chopped porcini mushrooms and a little salt and allow to sautee for a few minutes. Then, add your red wine, stirring until it is dissolved into the mushrooms. The smell will be heavenly. Now, add the mushroom water, peas, and parsley and raise the heat to high so that it boils. You want to reduce the mushroom water in half.

By this time, your pasta water may be boiling, so go ahead and add your pasta which you will want to cook until it’s al dente.

Once the mushroom water has been reduced to half, lower the temperature to medium and add your chopped tomatoes, stirring every so often. You just want to heat it all the way through, so if it starts to boil, turn the heat down a little more.

Once the sauce has heated all the way through, turn off the heat, and add cream, stirring to make sure it is thoroughly mixed. Taste for salt and add if needed.

By this time, your pasta should be done, so it’s time to drain it and add it to the pan with the sauce. Be sure to mix thoroughly and serve.

On a side note, I have actually made this recipe without adding the cream and it is also good, although a little different. So if you’re counting calories or watching your cholesterol, go ahead and skip the cream. It will still be good.

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