Pasta with Mushroom and Tomato Sauce

A meat-free alternative to Bolognese Sauce and not less delicious. Uses dried mushrooms which are important for flavour.

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Ingredients

450 g	fresh broad pasta, pappadelle ideally, otherwise fettucine, penne or other hollow pasta
50 g	dried porcini or cepes mushrooms
	hot water, not boiling
350 g	fresh mushrooms, single variety or a mixture if you wish
2 medium	shallots, chopped
1 clove(s)	garlic, chopped
1 bunch(es)	parsley, chopped
1 sprig(s)	rosemary, leaves only, chopped
6 leaves	fresh sage
4 tbsp	olive oil
1 large can(s)	plum tomatoes, 400g size
150 ml	dry white wine
	salt, to taste
	fresh ground pepper, to taste
50 ml	double cream
	fresh grated Parmesan

Method

Preparation time: ca. 30 min / Grade of difficulty: easy / Calories per portion: n/a

Place dried mushrooms into a bowl and add sufficient hot water to cover plus a little extra. Soak for 20 minutes. Drain mushrooms but retain liquid. Mince the soaked mushrooms and set aside. Filter the liquid through a fine sieve as it may contain some sand. Set liquid aside.

Clean the fresh mushrooms and remove dirt with a brush if possible. Remove any dried and discoloured stalk ends. Cut stalks into rounds about ½ inch or 10-15mm wide. Chop caps into medium dice and set aside, separated from stalks.

Heat a large pan or casserole dish and add oil. Reduce heat and add shallots, garlic and herbs, retaining about one fifth of the parsley and sauté for a few minutes. Add mushroom stems and simmer for further minute. Add about 125ml of the wine and the tomatoes. Season with a little pepper and gently simmer for about 30 minutes. Add soaking liquid from the mushrooms and all the remaining mushrooms. If the sauce is looking dry, add remaining wine and a dash of hot water. Season and sauté for a few minutes. Add a dash of cream if you like a creamier sauce, but it is not necessary.

Warm 4 dinner plates.

Meanwhile, bring a large saucepan of water to the boil and add 3-4 tsp salt. Add pasta, use a little less if using dried pasta, cook until al dente, or a little softer if you prefer. Using a pasta fork or other scoop, remove pasta and add to sauce. Stir in to mix. Add rest of parsley, a light grating of Parmesan and about 75ml of the water from the pasta to slacken.

Add a portion too each plate and serve with additional Parmesan.