Tomato Sauce with Mushrooms and “Fat Spaghetti”
- 1/2 ounce good quality dried porcini mushrooms
- 1 1/2 cups chicken stock
- About 1/4 cup olive oil
- 1/4 pound pancetta, chopped
- 1 pound cremini mushrooms, thinly sliced
- Salt and pepper
- 4 large cloves garlic, chopped
- 1 small onion, finely chopped
- 10 to 12 leaves fresh sage, very thinly sliced
- 1 cup dry white wine
- 1 28-ounce can Italian tomatoes, hand-crushed plus juice
- 1 pound pici or bucatini
- Freshly grated Pecorino cheese
- A handful of flat-leaf parsley, finely chopped
Place dried mushrooms in a small pot with the stock. Bring to a simmer and reduce heat to reconstitute the dried mushrooms.
Bring a large pot of water to a boil for the pasta and preheat a Dutch oven or large sauce pot over medium-high heat with 4 turns of the pan of olive oil. Add pancetta and stir to render, 2 minutes. Add fresh mushrooms and brown. Once browned, season with salt and pepper. Add garlic, onions and sage, and stir a few minutes to soften. Add wine and stir until mostly evaporated. Add the tomatoes to the mushrooms and stir. Remove porcini mushrooms from their stock and chop; add to sauce. Add all but the last few spoonfuls of stock. Any grit from dried mushrooms will have settled here.