Fettuccine in Morel Mushroom Cream Sauce

Tony Tomato made me do it.

Can I tell you guys a secret? I don’t like mushrooms. I mean, I can explain. I LOVE the taste but couldn’t careless for the TEXTURE of mushrooms – they are chewy and feel weird on my teeth. There. I said

I enjoy mushroom cream soup as long as it’s smooth, I like mushroom sauce on steak, I enjoy mushroom sauce pasta, but the thought of having a portobello “burger” literally turns me Off beyond belief. Why!? I honestly don’t know. They look weird, they are a fungi, I mean, come on, why should I like them?

Mmmm….they are delicious. They may have a weird texture (to me) but they are so good, protein packed, and when prepared properly, they even taste like meat to me when tossed with butter, at least these morels do!

ANYWAY. Tony is a local farmer here in St. Louis, and without even knowing of my aversion for the mushrooms texture, he dropped off a few pounds of the stuff and said: time to create!! A blank stare and bat of the eyelashes and BOOM, challenge accepted. I will make these delicious!!! I don’t have an option.

Thankfully it was Friday night. Y’all know that means pasta night so I just knew – these shall be in my pasta, and so this what I came up with!

Fettuccini in Morel Mushrooms Cream Sauce

WHAT

• 12 ounces of fresh fettuccini or enough to serve 2-4 people (we are hungry)

• 1-2 tablespoon butter

• 1 onion, finely chopped (or 1 cup onion)
• 2 cloves of garlic, minced
• 6 cups fresh morel mushrooms (or substitute other mushrooms of your choice), rinsed and dried on a towel, long stems cut in half
• 1/4 tablespoons dry white wine (optional but really, you should)
• Several fresh sage leaves, to taste
• several sprigs fresh thyme (plus ½ dried thyme to intensify the flavor)
• 2 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce (optional)
• teaspoon salt
• ¼ teaspoon pepper
• ¼ cup heavy cream/whipping cream
• 1-4 cup of Parmesan cheese
• 2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
• 1 cup of chicken broth

HOW

1. Make sure you CLEAN these bad boys right! Soak them, cut them in half (lengthwise) and make sure they are free of debris or you’ll be eating sand, straight up! Winecoach did a great job cleaning ours!
2. Set a large pot of salted water on to boil for the pasta. When boiling, add the pasta and cook for the time recommended on the package for al dente pasta. Tip: Do this step after, when Sauce is simmering so your pasta won’t become gummy in texture.
3. While the pasta is cooking, sauté the onions and garlic in the butter along with fresh sage and thyme until translucent and aromatic, about 2 minutes. Add the whole morels and stems together with a drizzle of olive oil for another 1-2. A really minutes. Add white wine, dried spices, Worcestershire sauce (if using), salt, and pepper.
4. Bring to a boil, reduce heat to medium-high, and cook for 5 minutes, occasionally giving the mushrooms a gentle stir.
5. For a “saucier” consistency, add a cup of vegetable or chicken broth, or enough to just almost cover the mushrooms while they are cooking. Totally cooking time for these guys is approximately 10 minutes. Try them! They don’t bite.
6. Lastly, introduce the whipping cream, cornstarch and Parmesan cheese. Stir into the bubbling mushrooms and cook for one more minute.
7. Toss in the pasta and you’re golden! Some prefer to top their pasta with the sauce but I’m a big fan or allowing the flavors to marry up in the sauce pan!

Morel mushrooms are such a treat, and only available in the spring, so I hope you can get your hands on them and make this pasta. It is SO WORTH IT! If you’re a fan of steak, it will taste just like little pieces of meat made it into your pasta, what a treat!

It will serve 2 hungry beasts or 4 well mannered peeps. Choose at your will!

Moral of the story: everyone deserves a chance! I gave it to Morel mushrooms and they gave me the most delicious pasta dish! I hope you try this!

Serves 4 as a main course, or 6 as an appetizer course or if you have other dishes to serve, but I doubt they’ll take the attention away from this awesome. Prepare to turn heads with this recipe!

Xo, Ana

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