Malloreddus Pasta with Porcini Mushroom Trifolati

Malloreddus is a traditional short pasta from Sardegna, Italy. They look like little gnocchi and their neutral flavor plus the little cavity on one side and ridges on the other make it the perfect vessel for a super flavorful condiment like these sautéed porcini mushrooms.

INGREDIENTS

Yield: 4 people (unless you invite my dad, my husband and my brother for dinner…then you better triple the amount! LOL )
• 400g = 14oz Malloreddus (or any other short pasta you love)
• 500g = about 18oz Porcini mushrooms (or a mix of mushrooms like baby bella, shitake, etc.)
• 2 garlic cloves
• ¼ cup Extra virgin olive oil
• 1 to 1 ¼ cups vegetable stock or water
• 1 spring of rosemary
• salt and black pepper to taste
• grated Parmigiano Reggiano cheese to taste

Infuse the extra virgin olive oil with the garlic cloves and rosemary by simply heating the oil to medium heat in a pot and letting the garlic become golden. Just make sure you don’t burn neither the garlic nor the oil, if you do, throw it away and start over.
Make sure the mushrooms are cleaned. Cut them into medium thick slices and add to the pot at medium heat.
At this point you can remove the rosemary if the leaves bother you since they will start to release from the stem as you cook the mushrooms or if you just want a slight perfume of rosemary but not a participating flavor. Otherwise, leave it inside and continue cooking.
Season the mushrooms with some salt and black pepper, stir very well and cook uncovered until the water they release has evaporated and they begin to get slightly golden.

At this point you can start adding some of the stock (or water) and continue cooking with the lid on. As soon as you see that most of the stock has evaporated, add the rest and finish cooking for another 3 minutes. You want to leave some liquid in the pot. These are not your usual sauté mushrooms where all the water has evaporated.
Bring lots of salted water to a boil in a larger pot and add your pasta. Cook for 3-4 minutes LESS than what the package instructions advice for “al dente.”
Either drain or simply transfer the pasta to the sauté pan using a colander or ladle. If you do drain it, make sure you reserve some pasta water.
Cook the mushrooms and pasta together for about 3-4 minutes, adding some pasta water if necessary to bring back the consistency of the mushrooms and bring the pasta to an “al dente” consistency.
Turn the heat off and add some Parmigiano cheese. Taste for seasoning and adjust if necessary.
Serve the pasta and add a bit more cheese on each plate.

Enjoy with seasonal porcini on a cool autumn day or with your favorite shrooms any time of the year!

Malloreddus Pasta with Porcini Mushroom Trifolati

INGREDIENTS

PROCEDURE

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