Recipes: Italian Food in New York
Episode #107

Mushroom Guazetto with Whole Wheat Pasta

Learn the secrets to great Italian cooking with chef Lidia Matticchio Bastianich, host of public television’s Lidia’s Italian American Kitchen and the first lady of Italian cuisine in New York.

Mushroom Guazetto
with Whole Wheat Pasta

Guazetto is a slow cooking method that concentrates flavors by simmering ingredients in stock with tomatoes and lots of seasonings. We used whole-wheat spaghetti and bluefoot mushrooms, but these can be substituted with your favorite pasta and with whatever meaty fresh mushrooms you have available.

Ingredients:

18 ounces (100g) Dry whole-wheat spaghetti (1 typical box)
6 quarts salted water
3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
4 cloves garlic, lightly crushed
Fresh thyme, rosemary and sage to taste
1½ pounds fresh bluefoot mushrooms, cleaned, trimmed, and sliced
3-4 ounces tomato paste
1 cup chicken stock or canned low-sodium chicken broth
3 tablespoons butter, optional
3 tablespoons chopped fresh Italian parsley leaves
½ cup freshly grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese

Directions:

1. Bring the salted water to a boil in a large pot. Add the pasta and under cook by about 2 minutes.
2. In a large skillet, heat the oil over medium heat. Add the olive oil and garlic, stirring until golden brown.
3. Add a whole sprig of thyme, rosemary or whole leaves of sage (remove before plating finished dish).
4. Add about half of the mushrooms and toss them in the hot oil.
5. Add the remaining mushrooms in batches as the mushrooms in the pan begin to wilt.
6. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the mushrooms cook down and the liquid evaporates, about 10 minutes.
7. Push the mushrooms to the side of the pan, creating a hot spot in the center of the pan.
8. Add the tomato paste and stir for about a minute until caramelized.
9. Add the chicken stock and mix the tomato paste in. For a richer sauce add 3 tablespoons of butter with the stock.
10. Scoop the undercooked pasta out of the water, draining with tongs, and place directly into the mushroom skillet.
11. Allow the pasta to cook in the chicken stock with the mushrooms, until the stock has been absorbed by the pasta and reduced. The finished mushrooms and pasta should be moist and glistening not soupy.
12. Add more olive oil and salt to taste.
13. Toss finished pasta and mushrooms with the Parmigianno-Reggiano cheese, plate, and garnish with the chopped parsley.

Serve with Chianti.

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