2 posts tagged “pasta recipe”

I always look forward to actor and foodie John Pleshette's meals-of-the-week.  Enjoy!

Fettuccine with Favas and Morels

Fettuccine with Favas and Morels
Serves 4

1 lb of fettuccine or a pasta of your choice
2 lbs or fresh fava beans
1/2 lb of fresh morel mushrooms
2 scallions
3 cloves of garlic
dry white wine
fresh-grated Parmesan
chives
Italian parsley
Fresh tarragon

Bring a small saucepan of water to a boil.  Fill a bowl with iced water.

Meanwhile, shell the fava beans.  Drop them in the boiling water and cook for one minute.  Remove with a slotted spoon and plunge into iced water; drain.  Pinch off one end of each fava and squeeze out the green kernel inside.

If the morels are sandy, fill the sink with lukewarm water and rinse morels of grit or sand.  Drain in a colander.  Gently squeeze out as much water as you can; roll in a tea towel. 

Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil.  Add fettuccine.  Meanwhile, trim and slice scallions into 1/2-inch rounds.  Peel garlic and slice thinly. 

Melt 3 tablespoons of butter and a splash of olive oil in a large sauté pan over medium heat.  When butter stops foaming, add the morels and cook for about 3 minutes.  Add scallions and garlic and continue cooking until they are soft but not browned. 

Add 1/2 of white wine.  Raise heat and cook till wine has almost evaporated. 

Skim 1/2 cup of starchy water from the pasta pot.  When the fettuccine is al dente, drain in a colander, then add to the sauté pan.  Cook over medium heat, adding some of the pasta water and 1/2 cup of grated parmesan.  add the fava beans and the leaves from two sprigs of tarragon.   Toss over heat for another 30 seconds, adding more pasta water if necessary.

Serve with parmesan, fresh chives and parsely on the side.

CellarWise Wine Pairing

Though Hannibal Lecter preferred a nice Chianti with his favas, the inclusion of morels instinctively makes me think Pinot Noir. As consumers, the landscape is shifting our way in Oregon as a number of under-$20 Pinot bottlings are hitting the market. Morels are incredibly well suited to the Willamette Valley version of Pinot’s flavors, simplifying this match. The much-maligned ’07 vintage in Oregon is misjudged, in my mind, as the pure feminine flavors of the grape seem to show through in very pretty wines. Look for under-$20 ‘07s from J. Christopher, Ayres, McKinlay, Grochau Cellars, & Wallace Brook (second label of respected Adelsheim), all simply labeled Willamette Valley. A non-vintage bottling from Brick House (NV Cuvee) is similarly shroom-friendly. Caliphiles may prefer wines from Roessler, Sanford, Au Bon Climat, and Melville, all under $25. Enjoy.

How to Cook Everything

Tomorrow on Good Food, I'll be talking to Mark Bittman of the New York Times about soup.  His book, How to Cook Everything has some great recipes for dishes that can keep you warm this winter.  Here's a great one for Macaroni with Prosciutto, Tomatoes, and Whole Garlic Cloves.

MAKES: About 4 servings
TIME: About 30 minutes
 
Not for the timid, but beloved by many, including me.

Salt
1/3 cup extra virgin olive oil or butter
10 cloves garlic, lightly crushed
1/2 cup prosciutto or other salted ham or slab bacon, cut into cubes or strips
6 plum tomatoes, cored and roughly chopped, or 11/2 cups chopped drained canned tomato
Freshly ground black pepper
1 pound cut pasta, like ziti or penne
1 cup roughly chopped fresh basil leaves
1 cup freshly grated pecorino Romano or Parmesan cheese or a combination

1. Bring a large pot of water to a boil and salt it. Put the oil, garlic, and prosciutto in a medium to large skillet over medium-low heat. Cook slowly, stirring occasionally, until the garlic is deep gold, nearly brown, all over, 10 to 15 minutes.
       
2. Add the tomatoes, along with a sprinkling of salt and pepper; stir and cook while you cook the pasta. Spoon some of the pasta-cooking water into the sauce to thin it out a bit if it looks dry.
       
3. Drain the pasta when tender but not mushy, reserving some of the cooking water. Toss the pasta with the sauce and most of the basil, along with the cheese, adding a little of the reserved water if necessary to thin the sauce. Taste and adjust the seasoning. Chop the remaining basil more finely, garnish the pasta with it, and serve.