Mushroom & Prosciutto Linguine
Mama Mia! Who wants pasta?!
This is an ode to a few of my favorite things: pasta & mushrooms. It amazes me how delicious it can be with just a few ingredients. I impressed myself with this one. The taste came out PERFECT. Like, I thought I was sitting in a Italian restaurant (remember restaurants?) enjoying a fine meal. I’ve been running a lot these days since gyms are closed so in preparation for a long one tomorrow I decided to carb up. The prosciutto was for crunch plus a salty/savory touch. I didn’t forget the veggies though! I put four different kinds of mushrooms in this baby. Shiitake, baby bella, oyster & chanterelles.
Another one of my favorite things about pasta dishes is they’re all reasonably quick to make. This one took about 25 minutes until I was sticking my fork in. The linguine was fresh & I went with tri color to mix it up. Who doesn’t love playful food, right?
When cooking do not reduce the sauce too much! You want to reduce it just until it clings to the pasta to create a light coating. I think we can all agree, no one likes dry pasta.
Ingredients:
2/3 lb mixed mushrooms (any will work, I used chanterelles, oyster, baby bella & shiitake), torn into bite-size pieces
2 oz prosciutto (about 6 slices)
2 medium shallots, chopped
1 tsp thyme, plus more for serving
salt & pepper
1 cup chicken stock (or low sodium broth)
12 oz linguine (or any pasta you like)
1/4 cup heavy cream (healthier alternative: coconut cream)
2 tbsp salted butter
Heat 2 tbsp of oil in a large heavy pot over medium. Arrange prosciutto in a single layer in pot & cook. Turn once or twice until crisp, about 5 minutes. Transfer to paper towels to drain.
Heat remaining 2 tbsp. oil in same pot over high. Cook mushrooms (make sure not to salt before so the mushrooms don't shrink), tossing occasionally until browned & tender, about 6-8 minutes. Reduce heat to medium-low. Add shallots & thyme. Now season with salt & pepper while cooking. Stir often until shallots are translucent, about 2 minutes.
Add stock & reduce heat to low. Bring to a simmer & cook until only a thin layer of stock coats bottom of pot, about 5-6 minutes.
While the mushrooms are browning cook pasta in a medium pot of boiling salted water. If you are using fresh pasta like I did only cook for 1 minute or until you can see some of the starch release from the pasta. If using dry pasta cook occasionally until very al dente, about 3 minutes less than package directions.
Transfer pasta to pot with mushrooms & add 1 cup pasta water. Increase heat to medium bringing it to a simmer & cook, tossing constantly, until pasta is al dente & liquid is slightly thickened, about 2 minutes.
Add cream & continue to a simmer. Tossing continuously until pasta is coated, about 1 minute.
Crumble half of prosciutto into pot. Mix.
Remove from heat. Add butter & toss to combine. Add a dash of salt if needed. Crumble remaining prosciutto on top once plated.
Enjoy!
