Linguine with Porcini Cream Sauce and Wild Mushrooms
INGREDIENTS
3 TB butter
1 onion, julienned
3 cloves garlic, chopped
1 TB porcini powder
1 tsp whole peppercorns
1 bay leaf
1 cup white wine
1 qt cream
1 lb fresh, wild mushrooms; cooked and reserved warm
1/2 tsp chopped fresh thyme
salt and pepper to taste
Parmesan cheese, for garnish
1 lb dried linguine
DIRECTIONS
Melt butter in a sauce pan over medium heat, then add the onion and sweat until it's soft and translucent. Add the garlic and cook for 1 minute. Stir in the peppercorns, porcini powder and bay leaf, then deglaze with white wine. Reduce the mixture by half. Add the cream and turn the heat down to a simmer, further reducing by 1/4. When reducing, start the pasta.
After the sauce is reduced, strain out the solid ingredients, leaving only the remaining liquid. Add the thyme and the reserved mushrooms. Continue to cook the linguine until just shy of al denté. Strain the pasta, reserving 1 cup of the pasta cooking water. Return the linguine to the pot, and add the pasta liquid and cream sauce. Cook the pasta and sauce, stirring constantly, for 2 minutes over medium heat, until the sauce bubbles, thickens and coats the pasta. Serve in bowls and garnish with freshly-grated parmesan cheese.