Mushroom stock

This recipe makes around 1 quart of mushroom stock, which is more than you will need to make the pasta. But you can use it for other recipes or freeze it for up to three months.

• 1 lb crimini mushrooms
• 5 shallots
• 5 cloves garlic
• 1 fresh bay leaf
• 10 sprigs thyme
• 5 whole black peppercorns
• 3 tbsp olive oil
• 3 tbsp butter
• 1.5 quarts water

1. Begin by cleaning your mushrooms, wipe with a damp towel to remove any dirt. Next slice your mushrooms around 1/4″ thick. Repeat with the shallots. For the garlic just crush and peel.
2. Preheat a large pot or dutch oven over medium high heat and add the olive oil. Once it shimmers and begins to smoke, add the mushrooms. It’s going to look like a lot of mushrooms, but they’re going to release a lot of water then shrink, so just trust the process. Saute over medium high heat stirring frequently until all of the water from the mushrooms has evaporated, this will take close to 15 minutes. Once all the water is gone keep cooking until the mushrooms have gotten color all over, a nice deep brown. This is the most important step for building flavor in this stock so don’t rush it.
3. Once the mushrooms are a deep rich brown and your kitchen smells amazing, go ahead and drop the heat to medium low and wait a minute. Add the butter and once it melts add the shallots and garlic. Cook until the shallots are translucent, around 5 minutes.
4. Add your thyme, bay, and peppercorns. Deglaze the bottom of your pot with some of the water and scrape the bottom with a rubber spatula to pick of any fond you may have developed. Add the rest of your water and bring to a gentle simmer.
5. Once it’s at a simmer set a timer for one hour.
6. After one hour turn off the heat and strain, use a spatula or ladle to gently press any liquid from the mushrooms since they will hold on to quite a bit. Like little sponges.
7. Store in the fridge for 1 week or freeze for 3 months. Also any fat that may rise to the top will solidify when it’s cold and you can simply use a spoon to lift it out.

Pappardelle

This recipe calls for 00 flour which refers to the grind of the flour, 00 being the finest. Caputo is a brand I use often. However you can use American all purpose flour for this recipe. The protein content between European 00 and American apf tends to be similar however the fine grind size adds a silky smooth texture to pasta. And the type of wheat used in 00 flours gives a nice bite.

• 3 whole eggs + two yolks
• 2- 2 1/4 cups 00 flour + more for dusting
• pinch salt

1. Add your salt to 2 cups of flour and pour it out onto your counter, use the bottom of a bowl to make a well in the center. Keep the remaining 1/4 cup of flour off to the side for now. Add your eggs to the well and use a fork to whisk the eggs together in a circular motion. Continue whisking with the fork, pulling in flour from the sides of the well, until you essentially have a thick batter. At this point you can use a bench scraper to scoop and fold it together on your counter. Once it’s a shaggy dough get in there with your hands and begin to press it together. Once you have a cohesive ball of dough knead for 15 minutes. If at any point your dough begins to stick or feel too wet, sprinkle over a tbsp of flour and continue kneading. Pasta dough should be moist, but not sticky or tacky. And depending on what particular flour you’re using , it may hydrate differently. So use your judgment, and the remaining flour as necessary.
2. After kneading wrap your dough with plastic wrap or place in a covered bowl to rest for at least an hour. This will give the gluten time to relax which makes it easier to roll and shape later.

Rolling by hand

1. Flour your work surface and cut your ball of dough in half. Keep the other half of dough covered while you’re rolling the first. Shape the dough into a ball press it flat with your palm and begin rolling from the center out, rotate 90 degrees and repeat until you have a large circle. You can turn, flip, and lightly flour the dough or your surface whenever necessary. But you’re going to roll out the dough until it’s around 1/16″ You should be able to see your hand through it if you pick it up.
2. Now if you want to, you can use a knife you square off your sheet so you get perfect edges on all your pasta. You can cook the scraps you trim off and make maltagliati. If you don’t care, then proceed to the next step.
3. Now that your pasta is the right thickness, now you need to cut the length. Pasta is usually 12″ long so you can use a ruler to mark and cut sheets to that length. Next dust your pasta with flour and fold in half lengthwise and cut 3/4″ wide noodles. Repeat with all of your dough.

Using a pasta roller

1. Lightly flour your surface and cut your dough in half. Keep the other half covered while you roll out the first.
2. Use your hands to shape the dough into an oval and feed it through the machine on the widest setting which for me is 1. Fold the dough into thirds similar to a letter fold and feed through the machine 2-3 more times, still on the widest setting. You should now be looking at a nice rectangle.
3. Change the machine to the next thinnest setting (2) and feed it through. Repeat this process until you reach your desired thickness, which for me is going to be 5 for pappardelle. If your dough ever starts to feel sticky just drape it on your floured surface and reflour.
4. Once all of your dough is rolled out use a ruler to find your length (12″) and cut. Take those 12″ sheets and fold in half lengthwise, then cut 3/4″ wide noodles. Repeat with all sheets

Fresh pasta can be stored for a few days in the fridge or frozen for around a month. Just keep in mind, egg pasta starts to discolor the longer it sits, so your pasta may turn grey after a prolonged period.

making the dish (for two)

• 6oz crimini mushrooms (any mushroom you enjoy will be fine)
• 3 tbsp raw walnuts
• 1 large shallot
• 2 cloves garlic
• 1 tsp fresh thyme
• 2 tbsp white wine
• 6oz mushroom stock
• 3 tbsp butter
• 2oz pecorino or parmesan

1. First clean your mushrooms. Now you can quarter them for a chunkier bite or slice them thinly, up to you.
2. Peel your shallot and garlic and cut them into a brunoise or small dice.
3. Get your mushroom stock warmed up, and get a pot of salted water boiling for your pasta.
4. Preheat a pan over medium heat and add a few tablespoons of olive oil, once it shimmers and begins to smoke add your mushrooms and begin to saute. Cook until the mushrooms have nice color on all sides, around 4-5 minutes and drop the heat to medium low. Add 1 tbsp of butter and the walnuts then toast, swirling the pan for 2-3 minutes. Add the shallots, garlic, and thyme with a small pinch of salt. Cook for an additional 2 minutes or until the shallots begin to turn translucent. Deglaze with the white wine and cook until the pan is nearly dry again. Add the mushroom stock and bring to a simmer.
5. Drop your pasta in the water. Fresh pasta cooks quickly, 1-3 minutes.
6. When your pasta is nearly ready, turn the heat to your pan to low and add the remaining butter and swirl until you have a creamy butter sauce. Add in your pasta with a splash of pasta water (lets say a tbsp) and grate in your cheese, toss until the cheese has completely melted and you have a thick creamy sauce. Taste and adjust seasoning with salt and finely ground black pepper.
7. If you ever experience that your sauce is looking a touch dry, add a splash of mushroom stock. If it’s too thin you can either reduce it down or emulsify in more butter and cheese.
8. Serve.