A versatile dish that can be as light or as decadent as you'd like. For a simple supper, use milk and button mushrooms. When you're in a hurry, skip toasting the flour and browning the butter. Guests? Use cream or more milk instead of stock, and go wild with shiitakes and oysters.
ingredients
- 1.06 oz (1/4 Cup) Flour
- 3 Oz (about ½ Cup whole) Walnuts or Hazelnuts
- 4 Tablespoons of Butter
- 10-12 Oz Mushrooms of choice, sliced
- 4 Grams (about 2) Garlic Cloves, minced
- 2 Cups Vegetable Stock
- 1 Cup Milk, Cream, or Half-n-half
- 2 Oz (about a 1/2 Cup) Parmesan or Romano
- 3-6 Grams (1-2 Teaspoons) Kosher Salt, to taste
- Lots of fresh ground black pepper
- 1 pound of Pasta, cooked al dente (reserve about a cup of cooking water)
deviations & tips
- A darker stock works best for this recipe. Try Knorr Vegetarian Bouillon Cubes.
- Fresh sage is wonderful in this dish! Simply slice about a dozen leaves and add with garlic.
- Top with freshly snipped chives or parsley.
the method
In a small skillet over medium high heat, toast nuts until golden and aromatic and remove from heat. Either add nuts to a food processor and pulse until nuts are chopped, or place nuts in a plastic bag and use a rolling pin to crush nuts to desired consistency. Set aside.
In that same skillet, toast flour over medium-high heat, stirring often, until golden and aromatic. Remove from heat and add to small mixing bowl. Pour in milk and whisk together until smooth. Set aside.
Toasted Flour
In a large skillet, brown butter over medium-high heat. Remove from heat so that butter does not burn and stir in mushrooms. Return to med-low heat, stirring often, until mushrooms shrink and absorb the butter.
Browned Butter
Add garlic; sauté for about a minute. Pour in stock, cover, and simmer over medium heat for about 15 minutes. If the mixture starts boiling, stir, and lower heat.
Mushrooms shrink and absorb the butter.
Whisk in milk mixture until smooth. Blend in nuts and cheese. Taste sauce and add salt as needed. How much salt you need can vary greatly depending on how much salt is in your butter, stock, and cheese. Allow to simmer over low until sauce thickens. If your sauce gets too thick, mix in a little stock or cooking water from the pasta. Add fresh ground black pepper to taste.
In a stock pot, add the sauce to the pasta and cook over low for just a couple minutes or until the pasta starts to absorb the sauce. Again, if your sauce gets too thick, blend in a little stock or pasta cooking water. Serve with fresh herbs and grated cheese if desired.
Pasta with Oyster Mushrooms