Shell pasta with asparagus, mushrooms and fresh cream

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Conchiglie con asparagi, funghi e panna

Ingredients:

1 lb DeLallo Shells Pasta
12 oz of green or purple asparagus
1 lb white or cremini mushrooms
1/4 cup grated Parmigiano Reggiano
1 clove of garlic, pressed
3/4 cup heavy cream
3 tablespoons DeLallo Extra virgin olive oil
A generous amount of finely chopped fresh parsley
Salt and pepper

Directions:

In a shallow pot of salted water to a boil. Cut off the ends of the asparagus; then peel the stems very gently until you reach the first buds. Wash them gently. Cut each asparagus in half—that is, separating the tips from the stem.

Place the asparagus stems in the salted boiling water; then, after a couple of minutes, add the tips and boil for about 10 minutes. Meanwhile, cut off the very bottoms of the mushrooms and clean the tops with a paper towel—don’t use water to clean them. Thinly slice the mushrooms.

Heat a large skillet over medium heat, drizzle the oil and add the garlic. As soon as the garlic becomes golden—“dorato” as we say in Italy—add the mushrooms to the pan on a very high flame. Don’t salt now—the mushrooms will release all their water and the sauce will become too soupy. Sauté them very quickly; as soon as they turn a beautiful brown, lower the flame and add salt and pepper. At this point, drain all the asparagus using a sieve—or else, with a pair of tongs, remove them from the boiling water. Place them on a wooden cutting board and allow them to cool just a bit before cutting the tops in two again (if the spears are long).

Add only the asparagus tips to the mushrooms in the skillet; put the stems in a food processor with half of the fresh cream and puree. Using a spatula, add the mixture to the skillet. Mix the sauce well, adjusting with salt and pepper; then turn off the flame and leave the skillet covered.

Now add your pasta to the boiling water and cook it very al dente—but, three or four minutes before your pasta is done, turn up the flame under the sauce and add the remaining cream. If you think the sauce is too thick, add some water from the pasta. When the pasta is ready, drain and pour it into the skillet on a high flame; sautée for one or two minutes. At the last second, turn off the flame and then add some water (if necessary), the parsley, some freshly ground pepper, and the grated parmigiano. Serve it in a large warm bowl.

Variations: Instead of cremini mushrooms, you can use fresh porcini if available, or ½ ounce of the dried ones, first crumbled and then soaked. Also, if you don’t want to use cream, you can substitute vegetable broth; of course, it will have a different consistency, but it will still taste great.

Serves 4Send to friendPrinter-friendly version