Mushrooms take centre stage in many dishes from the alpine regions of northern Italy. Found growing in abundance in the dense woodlands which punctuate the rolling landscapes of Piedmont and Lombardy, varieties of fungi from porcini to chanterelles can be foraged year-round if you know where to look! Today’s creamy mushroom sauce is best enjoyed with long strands of pasta, perfect for wrapping up every last morsel on your plate! We’ve chosen linguine but any fresh variety of pasta will work, you could even try making your own by following along with our video below.
Make our mushroom linguine
Serves 4
Prep time: 15 minutes
Cooking time: 20 minutes
Calories per serving: 554kcal
Ingredients
- 400g fresh linguine
- 2tbsp extra virgin olive oil
- 6 cloves garlic, crushed
- 650g mixed mushrooms, thinly sliced
- 1 large shallot (or a medium onion), finely diced
- 1tbsp fresh thyme, roughly chopped
- 1 glass (about 125ml) dry white wine
- 75ml double cream
- 50g parmesan cheese, grated
- 1tbsp butter
- Salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
- Fresh basil or parsley, to garnish
Method
- Heat the oil and garlic in a large pan over a medium heat for about 2 minutes, be careful not to burn the garlic. Add the mushrooms, shallots and thyme and increase the heat a little.
- Cook for 10-15 minutes, stirring regularly, until the mushrooms are beginning to brown and any liquid in the pan has evaporated.
- Add the white wine to the pan and cook until it has reduced by about half.
- Cook your fresh linguine for about 3 minutes in a pan of boiling water with a pinch of salt. If you're using pasta from a packet, cook as per the instructions. When cooked, drain the pasta, reserving about 100ml of your cooking water.
- Stir the reserved pasta water into the pan with the mushrooms. Add your double cream, parmesan, butter, salt and pepper.
- Transfer the pasta to the pan with the sauce and toss to coat each strand thoroughly.
- Serve with a sprinkling of parmesan and some fresh basil or parsley. Buon appetito!
Mushroom linguine wine pairing recommendation
The combination of earthy mushrooms and a creamy, parmesan-enriched sauce calls for a wine with bright acidity. White is the obvious choice, especially something light and fruit-forward. Trebbiano, particularly Trebbiano d'Abruzzo, fits the bill perfectly – the acidity will cut through the richness, allowing the savouriness of the mushrooms to shine. Alternatively, a fruity red with plenty of acidity would work well. Here, we’d go for a Pinot Nero, which has lighter tannins and a real complexity that’ll complement the earthy mushrooms without overpowering the dish.
