Creamy Mushroom Linguini
Creamy Mushroom Linguini - an ode to the farmers' market, embodying seasonal markets and winter comfort. These baby shiitakes sparked memories of simple mushroom pasta, made for quiet nights and farm-to-table meals.
I left the littlest mushrooms whole and cut the rest in half so they would be bite-sized and blend in with a twirl of linguine. The mushrooms soak up flavors of garlic and shallot, flavoring the cream wonderfully. I went for the old-style pasta water thickener, using the starchy water to create a richer sauce.
I happened to find these baby shiitakes, but any small mushrooms will work just as well! Sometimes I add in some crispy pancetta or prosciutto for a salty bite, but for this recipe, I kept it simple with some grated Parmesan and parsley on top.
Shiitake mushrooms, shallots, garlic, and shaved Pepato
January has been one of the least organized yet most productive, though mostly behind the scenes and off the blog. I'm in the process of cleaning and reorganizing the room I photograph in, finding places for props and clearing out old art supplies to open up the area. Even as I finished cleaning up and organizing my shelves, warm light streamed through the windows, bringing an open, airy feeling to the room.
Most of my photos recently have been for #eatcaptureshare over on Instagram, though the theme of this week, 'At the Farmers' Market', tied in with my own focus for January. It has been such a wonderful experience so far, experimenting with texture and color, branching out to wider compositions, and joining in elements of mood and storytelling. Each photo has a different feel and I've loved having the space to create an atmosphere for my scenes.
So, in all it's disorganization and change, here's to January.
Creamy Mushroom Linguini topped with parsley and Pepato
Creamy Mushroom Linguini
Ingredients
1/2 lb linguine
4-6 oz small shiitake mushrooms, halved (leave the little ones whole)
1/4 cup pasta water or white wine
1/4 cup heavy cream
1/2 shallot, finely chopped
2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
1 tablespoon butter
1 tablespoon Italian parsley
salt and pepper, to taste
Method
Bring a large, generously salted pot of water to a boil.
Over medium-low heat, sauté the mushrooms in the butter. When the mushrooms are golden, add the shallots and garlic and cook until translucent. Then, pour in the pasta water or white wine and cream, allowing the sauce to thicken. Add salt and pepper to taste.
Meanwhile, cook the linguine to al dente, according to package. Once the pasta is done, add the sauce pan and allow the linguine to soak up the sauce. Serve with grated Parmesan or Pecorino and chopped Italian parsley.