Fettuccine with Shiitakes

Recipe by: Amy Farges | from The Mushroom Lover's Mushroom Cookbook and Primer

Cookstr

Course: Hot Appetizer, Main Course

Total Time: Under 30 Minutes

Skill Level: Easy

Cost: Inexpensive

Photo by: Joseph De Leo

Mario Batali is a feisty, ponytailed redhead whose motto could be “the pasta course waits for nobody.” Mario hosted one of the first TVFN cooking shows, “Molto Mario,” where he entertained viewers with real-people cooking peppered with unintentionally hilarious asides. Po, his tiny converted diner in Greenwich Village, bustles with the exuberance of an Italian fishing village. Now his second New York success, the restaurant Babbo, is opened and thriving as well as a third, Lupa. When I’m desperate for dinner, this soothing, simple, and easy-to-shop-for recipe of his invariably comes to the rescue.

Yield: Serves 2

INGREDIENTS

5 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
2 cloves garlic, thinly sliced
8 ounces shiitakes, stemmed, cleaned, and cut in half
1 cup Light Chicken Stock or canned low-sodium chicken broth
2 ounces Cinzano or sweet red vermouth
8 ounces fresh fettuccine
1 bunch of arugula, cleaned and chopped (1 cup)

Directions

1. Heat 3 tablespoons of the olive oil in a large sauté pan over medium heat. Sauté the garlic until soft but not burned. Add the shiitakes and cook until they give up their liquid, 2 to 3 minutes.

2. Pour in the stock and Cinzano: Bring to a boil and boil until reduced by half, about 5 minutes. The sauce should just coat the mushrooms.

3. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Drop in the fettuccine and bring back to a boil. Taste, and drain when it is slightly al dente but no longer crunchy, about 1 minute.

4. Over high heat, toss the arugula into the shiitake sauce until it just wilts. Pour the sauce over the drained pasta and drizzle with the remaining 2 tablespoons olive oil. Serve hot.