On Monday night I like to make something special, as if to celebrate that long work-week which lays out before me. (Aha! Thumb your nose at such work-weeks; remember, you like your job.)
Tonight I searched high and low for this favorite recipe, and finally found it. Every time I make this, it seems that I have to look around for the recipe, from Fine Cooking magazine (March 2007). I decided to store the recipe where it will not become lost, with Ed & Reub. Here goes:
Spaghetti with Portabellas, Sage, and Walnuts
Kosher salt
¾ lb spaghetti
3 Tbsp olive oil
½ cup unsalted butter
3 - 6 large portabella mushroom caps, gills scraped out and discarded, caps thinly sliced and cut into 2-inch pieces
Fresh ground black pepper
2/3 (or more) cup loosely packed fresh sage leaves
1/2 cup toasted walnuts, coarsely chopped
½ cup freshly grated Parmigiano-Reggiano
Cook spaghetti until al dente (9 min). Reserve 1 cup of pasta water, then drain pasta and set aside.
Meanwhile heat the olive oil and 2 Tbsp butter in a 12-in skillet over medium-high heat until butter is melted. Add mushrooms, season with salt and pepper, and cook, stirring occasionally, until they’re brown and tender, 4-5 minutes. Transfer mushrooms to bowl and set aside.
In the same skillet melt the remaining 6 Tbsp of butter; add sage leaves and cook, stirring occasionally, until they darken and crisp, and the flecks of milk solids in the butter are golden brown, 3-5 minutes. Return the mushrooms to the pan and pile in the walnuts, the cooked pasta, and ½ cup of the pasta water. Toss the pasta with tongs to coat well, adding more water as needed so the pasta is moist, 1-2 minutes. Season with salt and pepper, mound into bowls, and sprinkle generously with the Parmigiano. Serve immediately.
This is so good. If you are not vegetarian, you will not even miss the meat. The mushrooms, sauteed sage, and walnuts are amazing together. A green salad,a little french bread, and some wine-red or white- will make it fit for a king.
If nobody comments here, I don't mind. I feel so smart that I finally found a place where I will not lose the recipe.
You ARE smart!
ReplyDeleteI don't like mushrooms, but this sounds really good. The walnuts don't make it too crunchy? I wonder if I could add some other kind of vegetable such as eggplant or squash instead of mushrooms.
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