Sage and Cracked Pepper Papardelle with Wild Mushrooms

VEW
I could eat pasta with mushrooms for the rest of my life and be happy.If you’re luke-warm about mushrooms, I think this recipe could convert you to my side. The rich sweetness of the sauce and the fresh earthiness of the pasta is a really great combination.

Pasta recipes vary tremendously as far as the ratio of flour to eggs and the type of flour. I have made many different kinds; I have mixed and rolled by hand, mixed by food processor, kneaded by hand and rolled by pasta roller. It’s all good and leagues better than dried and even the store-bought fresh pastas. The one constant is that you really should knead by hand for a few minutes. It gives you a silkier dough, and if you’re going to go through all the trouble of making pasta from scratch, you should want to get your hands in it! I’ll give you the latest recipe I’ve used, but if you have one you use, make it as directed, just add the sage and pepper to the flour as this recipe states.

2 ¼ C King Arthur brand Perfect Pasta Blend Flour

3 eggs at room temperature
1-2 T water
8-10 fresh sage leaves, minced
Freshly ground black pepper (about ½ t)
Mix the flour, sage and pepper. You can either make a well in the center of the flour mound and add in the eggs, gradullay incorporating the flour as you mix, or if you’re short on time you can do this all in a food processor. Mix in the egg and little bits of the water at a time until the dough just clings together. Knead for at least 3 minutes; 6-10 will yield increasingly better results. Wrap in plastic and set aside to rest for 20 minutes. Alternatively, throw it in the fridge and take it out 20 minutes before you’re ready to use it.
I use an Imperia hand-crank pasta roller to roll out sheet of pasta and then I cut them however I want. To make pappardelle, flour the sheets well and then fold them in half, in half again, in half again etc. until you have a small sheet that is manageable to slice into 1” ribbons with a large knife. Unroll them and lay on a floured towel . If you aren’t going to use your pasta right away, or if you want to store for a few days or even weeks, you can freeze it on a cookie sheet. When ready to cook, just drop in boiling water as you would dried pasta. It will cook in about 3 minutes. (This is very helpful if you end up making more pasta than you can use in one night).

Mushroom sauce
2T unsalted butter
2 large shallots, sliced in ¼” rounds
2 cloves garlic, thinly sliced
1 lb assorted mushrooms, thickly sliced (shitake and baby portobellos are readily available in most stores)
3/4oz dried mushrooms such as porcini or Polish Cépes, soaked in ½ C boiling water for 30 minutes
1/4C dry red wine
1/3 C heavy cream
3T ricotta cheese
¼ Cup finely grated parmesan or pecorino cheese
1T freshly chopped parsley
Melt the butter in a large frying pan and sautee the shallots and garlic until beginning to carmelize. Deglaze the pan with about ¼ C red wine. Simmer until wine is almost gone, then add the fresh mushrooms. Cover and cook over med-low heat until softened—about 8 minutes. Add in the dried mushrooms with their soaking liquid. (It’s generally a good idea to pour the liquid through a fine mesh sieve to keep any sediment from your dish.) Gently simmer uncovered for about 30 minutes, stirring occasionally. Make sure your sauce stays saucey. If you find the pan drying out a bit, turn down the heat and/or partially cover the pan. Pour in the heavy cream and cook for another 5 minutes. Just before serving stir in the ricotta, parmesan cheese and parsley. Gently toss with cooked noodles. Serve with a drizzle of fine extra virgin olive oil and some gray salt. I could die happy…