By Jess Thomson
Serves 2 to 4
Start to finish: 30 minutes
From Edible Seattle May/June 2010
Earthy, smoky morel mushrooms are a delicious sign of spring—and unfortunately, often an expensive one. This simple pasta sauce, which combines the mushrooms with garlic, shallots, thyme, and pine nuts, is a great way to get a lot of flavor out of just a quarter pound of morels.
1/4 pound morel mushrooms (or 1/2 ounce dried morels), cleaned and roughly chopped
1/2 pound high-quality bucatini or spaghetti
1/4 cup panko-style breadcrumbs
2 small shallots, chopped
2 large cloves garlic, crushed
1 teaspoon chopped fresh thyme
1/4 cup toasted pine nuts
Salt and freshly ground pepper
1/2 stick (4 tablespoons) unsalted butter
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
1/2 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
(If you’re using dried morels, place them in a bowl and cover with boiling water. Let soften for 30 minutes, rinse, and pat dry before chopping.)
Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil for the pasta.
Heat a large skillet over medium heat. Add the breadcrumbs to the dry pan and cook, tossing occasionally, until the breadcrumbs are toasted. Transfer to a plate and set aside.
Meanwhile, make the pesto: Whirl the shallots, garlic, and thyme in a food processor until very finely chopped. Add the pine nuts, morels, and salt and pepper to taste, and pulse until the mushrooms are finely chopped but not pasty.
When you start cooking the pasta, melt the butter over medium heat in the big skillet. Add the pesto, and cook and stir for 5 minutes, until the shallots are soft. Add the olive oil, stir to blend, and keep warm on low heat until the pasta is cooked al dente. Toss the pasta with the pesto. Fold in the cheese and breadcrumbs, and serve hot.
*Vegetarian
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