porcini mushrooms sauce with lots of red wine

the ultimate store cupboard recipe, egg pasta curls with porcini and red wine sauce

SUGO AI PORCINI E VINO ROSSO   There are days one simply has no time. Somewhat it gets late even to shop for food. And after so much hell, the saddest thing is to get a scrambled egg or an instant soup for dinner.

Here is my revenge to a hurried day.

Dig that package of porcini mushroom out of your larder. I am sure you have some pasta and some cheese. Open a bottle of decent red wine. Now throw the mushrooms in warm water to soak and relax on the sofa. Drink a glass of wine. Only after you have finished the glass, get back to the kitchen, the mushrooms will be soft by then.

Start preparing the sauce,  making sure that every time you pour some wine in the sauce you go back to the sofa and relax.  Put the pasta pan on the heat. More sofa. Start cooking the pasta. More wine.

You only really need to stand by the stove when you need to drain the pasta and toss it with the sauce.  A worthy, last effort of the day.

Recipe

• 40 gr / 2 tablespoon dried porcini mushrooms
• 15 gr. / 1 tablespoon butter
• 2 tablespoon EVO oil
• 1 garlic clove
• 1/2  cup red wine
• 2 tablespoon  unsweetened whipping cream
• 2 tablespoon grated Parmesan cheese
• 200 gr / 7  ounces dried pasta, preferably egg noodles

Soak the porcini in warm water about 20 min. Once they are soft chop them in smaller pieces using the tips of cooking scissors. No need to drain them, you can do this in the bowl where they are soaking.

For the sauce, use a shallow pan with high sides (e.g. a wok). Over low heat, sautee the pressed garlic with the butter and olive oil until just fragrant.

Add the mushrooms together with their soaking liquid and let them simmer. After the first 5 min. start adding the wine, 2 tablespoons at the time and continue simmering. Cook until all liquid is reduced to about 1/3 of the total volume and the mushrooms are tender. Add the cream and set aside. If you have no cream whisk-in a teaspoon or two of additional butter.

Cook pasta in large pot of boiling salted water until just tender but still firm to bite. Drain and transfer the pasta in the pan that holds the sauce.Turn the heat to high and quickly stir so that the sauce is partly absorbed by the pasta. Add the Parmesan cheese and 1-2 tablespoon of the pasta water. Stir some more until the additional liquid is absorbed and serve immediately.

Sprinkle with fresh parsley if desired.

Serves 2