CAPELLINI w/PROSCIUTTO & WILD MUSHROOMS

By BobD

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

Details

Servings 4
Adapted from events.nytimes.com

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.