Fettuccine with Mushrooms and Asparagus (recipe)

Fettuccine with Mushrooms and Asparagus

Here's a very simple trick for making pasta dishes as delicious as possible: cook them in the classic Italian fashion by adding almost-cooked, drained pasta to the pan or pot with the sauce and letting it finish cooking there. Instead of swelling with more salted water during the final minutes, it'll drink in as much flavour as possible, in this case, the potent essence of sauteed mushrooms, red onion, cream, and herbs.

Prep time:
15 Minutes
Serves:
4
Cook time:
25 Minutes

Ingredients

1/4 Cup	extra virgin olive oil
1/4 Cup	diced red onion
1/4 Teaspoon	crushed red pepper flakes, plus more to taste
1/2 Pound	cremini mushrooms, thinly sliced
1/2 Cup	low-sodium vegetable broth
1/2 Pound	thin asparagus, thinly sliced on the bias, tip end left about 1-1/2 inches long
3/4 Cup	cup 35% cream
3 Tablespoon	pine nuts
1 Pound	dried fettuccine or pappardelle
2 Tablespoon	shredded fresh basil
3 Tablespoon	unsalted butter
1/2 Cup	freshly grated Parmigiano- Reggiano

Preparation

Bring 6 quarts water to a boil in a large, heavy-bottomed pot over high heat, then add 2 tablespoons salt.
While waiting for water to boil, heat oil in a sauté pan over medium heat. Add onion and pepper flakes and sauté quickly to keep ingredients from scorching. Add mushrooms, season with salt and pepper, and sauté until mushrooms darken slightly in colour and are softened but still holding their shape, about 5 minutes. Add broth and asparagus and cook, stirring gently, for 2 minutes. Stir in cream, immediately reduce heat to keep it from scorching, and cook for several minutes.
Meanwhile, toast pine nuts in a sauté pan over low heat, shaking pan, just until they are warm and fragrant, about 2 minutes.
Add pasta to boiling water and cook until al dente, 7 to 9 minutes from the time the water returns to a boil (10 minutes if you are using pappardelle).
Add basil, butter, pine nuts, and cheese to pan with mushrooms and toss well.
Reserve a cup or so of pasta's cooking liquid, then drain the pasta and add it to the pan with mushrooms, asparagus, and sauce. If sauce seems too dry, stir in a few tablespoons of reserved pasta water. Toss, taste, and adjust seasoning with salt, pepper, and more pepper flakes if necessary.