Wild Mushroom Pasta Gratin

There are a lot of Chanterelle Mushrooms in the market this fall - we decided to make Wild Mushroom Pasta Gratin from Chez Panisse Vegetables by Alice Waters. It is a delicious baked pasta. We really liked it.

We made a first course of a great salad from the Zuni Cafe Cookbook: Radicchio with Croutons, Hardboiled Eggs and Anchovy Vinaigrette. It is an excellent salad and easy to make. The recipe is can be found on our blog of: Jan 31, 2007. Click the date to get the recipe.

Wild Mushroom Pasta Gratin

Chez Panisse Vegetables

Alice Waters

1 ounce dried porcini Mushroom

2 tablespoons unsalted butter

1 tablespoon all-purpose flour

1-1/2 cups reduced chicken stock

1 cup heavy cream

Salt and pepper

Nutmeg

1/2 pound fresh wild mushrooms (chanterelles, cepes, hedgehogs, etc.)

1 or 2 cloves garlic, finely chopped

2 tablespoons chopped parsley

1 pound fettuccine

Reggiano Parmesan cheese

Put the porcini in a bowl and cover with boiling water.

While the porcini soak, make a thin bechamel sauce: Melt 1 table-spoon of the butter in a heavy-bottomed saucepan. Stir in the flour and cook gently for a few minutes. Warm the chicken stock and cream and whisk into the flour and butter. Season lightly with salt and pepper and a scraping of nutmeg. Add 2 to 3 tablespoons of the porcini soaking liquid to the sauce, being careful not to disturb any sand that has settied to the bottom of the bowl. (The strength of the mushroom liquor will vary; add it to taste.) Simmer the sauce for 30 minutes or so.

Clean the fresh wild mushrooms and slice thin. Lift the porcini out of their liquor, chop them, and saute with the other mushrooms in the rest of the butter. Season with salt and pepper, and when the mushrooms are nearly cooked, add the garlic and the parsley. Add the sauce to the mushrooms and taste. If needed, strain in more mushroom liquor.

Preheat the oven to 425 °F.

Cook the pasta and add it to the mushroom sauce; taste and correct the seasoning. Put the pasta in a buttered gratin dish or in individual dishes and top with grated Parmesan. Bake for about 15 minutes, until the top is crusty and golden.

Serves 4 to 6.