When I go to the effort of making HOME-MADE PASTA, I always make a special sauce to really cherish it. The same applies to Chanterelle Mushrooms: these gorgeous yellow trumpets deserve to be celebrated, so for me the two together are a perfect match.
The beautiful wild Chanterelles, in Austria known as 'Eierschwammerl' (= egg mushrooms), are quite tasty in their own right. That very taste is difficult to explain, but they can be fruity or woody, and are a little peppery. I guess for this reason in Germany they are called 'Pfifferlinge', with 'Pfiffer' coming from 'Pfeffer' = pepper. But not only are they tasty, they are also so pretty with their yellow-orange hats; and their consistency beautifully meaty and 'crunchy' when cooked.
They are great just fried in a little oil, or with scrambled eggs. In Austria we like to make them into 'Schwammerlsauce with Semmelknödel' = mushroom sauce with bread dumplings (will need to get to those another time...), again, with the mushrooms being the main star of the dish. But also with fish (they are great with carp... mmmmmhhhh... this brings back beautiful and tasty memories...), chicken and pork; red meat can be a little overpowering for them. They pair well with white wine and shallots and make a fantastic risotto.
Being wild mushrooms, Chanterelles tend to be a little more pricey, but thanks to their strong flavour, a hand-full goes a long way; and as I said, it's best to cook them so that they are the star of a dish, or the main side, or decoration. By the way, apparently many pharmacists in France are trained to identify edible wild mushrooms, and have mushroom identification posters hanging up in their pharmacies, so if in doubt, you can take your proudly foraged mushrooms to the next pharmacy and have them identified. Just as well, I'd say... :-)
Tip: When buying Chanterelles make sure they are not overly dirty, damaged or mushy. They should have a fresh, fruity, woody smell. Chanterelles will keep for a couple of days to up to a week in the fridge, best stored in a paperbag. Do not wash before storing. Do not soak chanterelles during cleaning, and make sure they are completely left to dry before use.
Makes: 2-3 Portions as main course
1 Tbsp butter
50g bacon, cut into small cubes
2 banana shallots, finely diced
100ml rose (or white) wine*
100ml cream*Paprika powder
Pinch of nutmeg
Salt
Freshly milled black pepper
(* If you prefer not to use alcohol for the sauce, you can replace the wine and cream with vegetable stock for flavour, and sour cream for acidity and creaminess.)
Approximately 1 hour before making the dish, clean the Chanterelles: brush off any pieces of soil or needles with a very soft brush, or carefully and gently scrape off any debris with a small knife, making sure to pay special attention to the gill-like ridges underneath the cap, as these are a perfect hiding place for sand and little animals. Cut off a couple of millimetres off the ends of the stems and any brown, soft or mushy parts. Once cleaned, rinse the mushrooms quickly under running water, rubbing the top of the cap gently with your thumb. If they are very dirty, submerge them, small portions at a time, for a very short amount of time in cold water, swirling them around with your hand to remove any trapped dirt, then remove them immediately. Do NOT soak them. Spread the mushrooms in a single layer on a couple of sheets of kitchen paper and leave to dry completely before use. Cut the mushrooms roughly into equal size pieces according to recipe requirements. I tend to keep a couple of medium size ones whole both for concentrated flavour, as well as decoration.
In a large pot bring plenty of salted water to a boil for the Tagliatelle. Meanwhile make the sauce: heat the butter in a pan over medium heat. Add the bacon and onion and fry until they are just starting to brown, app. 8 minutes. Add the dry, cleaned and chopped mushrooms and sauté on medium-high heat for app. 5 minutes. Then deglaze with the wine and leave it to reduce completely.
Add the cream, season with a little paprika powder, a pinch of nutmeg, salt and freshly milled black pepper. Leave the sauce to thicken a little, then add the chopped parsley.
When the sauce is ready, cook the pasta: in contrary to dried pasta, fresh pasta will only take a couple of minutes to cook, so make sure to do this when the sauce is finished.
Towards the end of the pasta cooking time, remove a couple of spoons of the starchy pasta cooking water, add it to the sauce and stir under; drain the cooked pasta, add it to the sauce and mix well so that the pasta is nicely coated.
Serve immediately and hot, decorated with a couple of the whole, larger mushrooms on top, and sprinkled with chopped parsley.
Makes: 2-3 Portions as main course
1 Tbsp butter
50g bacon, cut into small cubes
2 banana shallots, finely diced
100ml rose (or white) wine*
100ml cream*Paprika powder
Pinch of nutmeg
Salt
Freshly milled black pepper
(* If you prefer not to use alcohol for the sauce, you can replace the wine and cream with vegetable stock for flavour, and sour cream for acidity and creaminess.)
1) Clean the mushrooms: Approximately 1 hour before making the dish, clean the Chanterelles: brush off any pieces of soil or needles with a very soft brush, or carefully and gently scrape off any debris with a small knife, making sure to pay special attention to the gill-like ridges underneath the cap, as these are a perfect hiding place for sand and little animals. Cut off a couple of millimetres off the ends of the stems and any brown, soft or mushy parts. Once cleaned, rinse the mushrooms quickly under running water, rubbing the top of the cap gently with your thumb. If they are very dirty, submerge them, small portions at a time, for a very short amount of time in cold water, swirling them around with your hand to remove any trapped dirt, then remove them immediately. Do NOT soak them. Spread the mushrooms in a single layer on a couple of sheets of kitchen paper and leave to dry completely before use.
2) Cut the mushrooms: Cut the mushrooms roughly into equal size pieces according to recipe requirements. I tend to keep a couple of medium size ones whole both for concentrated flavour, as well as decoration.
3) Heat up the pasta water: In a large pot bring plenty of salted water to a boil for the Tagliatelle.
Meanwhile make the sauce:
4) Fry the bacon and onion: Heat the butter in a pan over medium heat. Add the bacon and onion and fry until they are just starting to brown, app. 8 minutes.
5) Add the mushrooms: Add the dry, cleaned and chopped mushrooms and sauté on medium-high heat for app. 5 minutes.
6) Deglaze with the wine: Add the wine and leave it to reduce completely.
7) Add the cream, spices and salt: Add the cream, season with a little paprika powder, a pinch of nutmeg, salt and freshly milled black pepper.
8) Leave to thicken: Leave the sauce to thicken a little.
9) Add the parsley: At the end, add the chopped parsley.
10) Cook the pasta: When the sauce is ready, cook the pasta: in contrary to dried pasta, fresh pasta will only take a couple of minutes to cook, so make sure to do this when the sauce is finished.
11) Finish the Pasta: Towards the end of the pasta cooking time, remove a couple of spoons of the starchy pasta cooking water, add it to the sauce and stir under; drain the cooked pasta, add it to the sauce and mix well so that the pasta is nicely coated.
12) Serve: Serve the tagliatelle immediately and hot, decorated with a couple of the whole, larger mushrooms on top, and sprinkled with chopped parsley.
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