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"This dish is for mushroom lovers!" Rach says about boscaiola, a traditional Tuscan-style pasta made with pancetta, mushrooms, garlic and white wine. "Use a crisp, citrusy white wine, not oaky or too sweet." Rach likes to use a white wine made with the Italian grape Pecorino.
Rach's Tip: Pop pancetta in freezer for a few minutes to firm up for chopping.
Ingredients
- 1 cup dried porcini mushrooms
- 3 cups beef or chicken bone broth or stock
- 3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil (EVOO), plus more to taste
- ⅓ pound pancetta, fine dice
- ¾ to 1 pound fresh mushrooms (crimini or combined mixed mushrooms such as hen-of-the-woods/maitake, shitake and crimini), stemmed, wiped clean and sliced
- 3 large shallots, finely chopped
- 4 large cloves garlic, chopped
- About 3 tablespoons fresh rosemary, finely chopped
- Salt and red pepper flakes (about 1 teaspoon) or black pepper
- 1 cup white wine
- One 14- to 15-ounce can (about 2 cups) diced or crushed fire-roasted tomatoes
- 1½ cups passata (half a jar) or one 14-ounce can tomato puree
- About ½ cup heavy cream
- 1 pound pappardelle
- 1 cup grated pecorino cheese or pecorino and Parmigiano-Reggiano combined, plus more for passing
Yield
Preparation
Place porcini in small pot and cover with stock, bring to low boil, reduce heat a bit and reduce liquid by half, 10 to 12 minutes. Remove the mushrooms with slotted spoon, trying not to mix up the liquid too much (so any grit from the mushrooms stays at the bottom of the pot), and chop. Reserve the mushroom stock.
Bring a pot of water to boil for the pasta.
Heat a large skillet with EVOO, 3 turns of the pan, over medium-high heat. Add pancetta and render 2 minutes, add fresh mushrooms and brown with pancetta 5 to 6 minutes, add shallots, garlic and rosemary, and season with salt and red or black pepper. Toss mushrooms 2 minutes more, then add about 1 cup of wine, let it absorb and reduce. Add reserved stock and porcini, slowly pouring into the skillet leaving behind the last couple tablespoons to avoid adding the grit from the porcini mushrooms at the bottom of the pot, then add tomatoes and passata or puree, reduce heat to low to simmer. Add cream.
Salt water and cook pasta 1 minute less than package directions to allow for carry over cooking.
Reserve ½ cup boiling pasta water and drain pasta. Combine the pasta with about ⅔ of sauce, the cheese and use the pasta water as needed to keep moist, then add a little more EVOO to your taste. Serve pasta topped with remaining sauce and pass extra cheese at table.
