What's the secret to a perfect couple? Who knows… some people (at least two here) claim that cooking together helps. Does it? Sometimes it does.
For sure, homemade tagliatelle and mushrooms are a perfect couple (if you think of the mushrooms as a single entity, strictly speaking). When we endeavoured to make this dish *together* MrM set ourselves a challenge. To top the tagliatelle ai funghi we had in a mountain hut when skiing during our Christmas holidays. We haven't really skied that much outside Italy, but we think that one of the bonuses of skiing on the Italian side of the Alps must be the chance of having some pretty amazing food at lunchtime. The tagliatelle MrM referred to came from a nice and completely unassuming hut on Courmayeur slopes. Nothing fancy, but good simple hearty food served at lunchtime (and dinner, if you stay overnight). Surely this will compensate for the annoyingly disorganised queues for the lifts.
Alas, I'm digressing. So back on topic
Ingredients for 4 people (or two, usual rules apply) 200g homemade tagliatelle (recipe to follow..) one shallot, chopped finely 320g mixed mushrooms (we used chestnut and oyster varieties), chopped a glass of red wine a little single cream (optional, but recommended) parsley salt and pepper grated parmesan EVO oil
Preparation whilst you other half is preparing tagliatelle, take your time to make the sauce. In our specific situation, I was making the pasta, whilst MrM was taking care of the sauce… In his own time - comparable to geological ages.
Put some EVO oil in a frying pan and let the shallot fry gently, until golden. Add the mushrooms, season, and let soften for a couple of minutes. Then, add the red wine and turn up the heat, letting the mushrooms simmer vigorously until the alcohol fumes have disappeared. Turn the heat down to a minimum, add the parsley, cover and let cook gently for 15-20 minutes, stirring every now and then, and adding a little hot water should the sauce become too dry.
Throw your fresh tagliatelle in a pot of salted boiling water. It won't take more than 4-5 minutes for them to cook 'al dente'. In the meantime, add the cream to the sauce and let simmer uncovered until it's time to drain the pasta. Add the tagliatelle to the mushrooms pan, and stir gently for a minute or so, adding the parmesan and mixing well the pasta in the sauce.
Result? For us, it was heavenly. Love at first bite, one might say. MrM was so pleased with our common effort, that he told me "this is why I love you!" with a big smile. Thanks Pinot Nero!
