Woodsy Warming Penne Boscaiola Recipe
Prep Time:
30 minutes
Cook Time:
30 minutes
Servings:
4 servings
Ingredients
  • 1 ounce dried porcini mushrooms
  • 1 cup dry Italian white wine
  • ½ cup cubed smoked pancetta
  • 1 tablespoon cooking oil
  • 1 onion, finely chopped
  • 7 ounces wild mixed mushrooms, sliced
  • 2 cloves garlic, crushed
  • 2 sprigs fresh thyme
  • ½ teaspoon dried oregano
  • 1 (14 ounce) can chopped tomatoes
  • 1 tablespoon tomato purée
  • ½ teaspoon sugar
  • Salt and pepper, to taste
  • ½ pound dried penne pasta
  • ½ cup heavy cream
  • ¼ cup chopped fresh parsley, to serve
  • ½ cup grated Parmesan, to serve
Directions
  1. Add the dried porcini mushrooms to a bowl and pour the white wine over them, then leave for 30 minutes until the mushrooms are soft.
  2. Drain the mushrooms and reserve the white wine, carefully allowing the gritty sediment from the porcini mushrooms to settle at the bottom of the bowl before pouring out the wine. Discard the sediment and set the wine to one side.
  3. Heat up a heavy bottomed pan to a medium heat and fry the cubed pancetta for 5 to 6 minutes until it is golden. Remove from the pan and set to one side.
  4. Add the cooking oil to the pan and cook the chopped onion, sliced wild mushrooms, and the garlic for 5 minutes until soft.
  5. Return the cooked pancetta to the pan along with the drained porcini mushrooms, the fresh thyme sprigs and the dried oregano. Mix everything together.
  6. Add the tinned tomatoes to the pan along with the reserved white wine and the sugar. Season well with salt and pepper and leave everything to simmer gently for 10 minutes.
  7. Heat up a large pot of salted water and add the dried penne. Cook for 10 minutes or according to the packets instructions until al dente, and then drain, reserving 1 cup of pasta water.
  8. Stir the cream into the pasta sauce, and then add the drained penne to the pasta sauce and mix everything together, adding pasta water as needed to create a smooth sauce that coats the pasta shapes.
  9. Serve the penne boscaiola hot and fresh from the pan, topped with chopped fresh parsley and grated Parmesan, to taste.