- 4
Ingredients
- 1/2 pound wild mushrooms such as shiitake, morels or oyster mushrooms or an equal weight of cultivated mushrooms
- 6 plum tomatoes, about 3/4 pound
- 1/4 pound thinly sliced prosciutto
- 1/2 pound snow pea pods
- 1/4 cup olive oil
- Salt to taste if desired
- Freshly ground pepper to taste
- 1 tablespoon finely minced garlic
- 1 teaspoon finely chopped jalapeno peppers, optional
- 1 sprig fresh rosemary or 1/2 teaspoon dried
- 1/2 pound angel hair (capellini) pasta or vermicelli
- 1 1/2 cups heavy cream
- 2 tablespoons butter
- 1/4 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese, plus additional cheese to be served on the side
- 1/2 cup shredded fresh basil
Preparation
Step 1
Rinse the mushrooms and pat them dry. Cut off and reserve the stems. Cut the caps into thin strips. There should be about 4 cups of caps and stems combined.
Core the tomatoes and cut into 1/2-inch cubes.
Cut the prosciutto into very thin strips. There should be about 1 1/2 cups.
Pull off, if necessary, any tough ''strings'' from the pea pods. There should be about 2 cups of pea pods. Put them in a saucepan and add water to cover. Bring to the boil and simmer one minute. Drain.
Meanwhile, heat the oil in a large, heavy casserole and add the mushrooms, salt and pepper. Cook, stirring, about 3 minutes and add the garlic, jalapeno peppers and prosciutto. Cook, stirring, about one minute. Add the rosemary.
Add the capellini to 3 quarts of boiling water and stir so that the strands are submerged. Cook about four minutes or to the desired degree of doneness. Reserve 1/2 cup of the cooking liquid. Drain the pasta.
Add the tomatoes to the mushroom mixture and stir. Add the cream and bring to a boil. Add the pasta, pea pods and reserved pasta cooking liquid to the casserole and stir.
Add the butter, 1/4 cup Parmesan cheese and shredded basil and toss to blend. Serve with additional Parmesan cheese on the side.