The Ultra-Savory Way To Prep Mushrooms For Pasta Alla Boscaiola

Italian cuisine will forever be the pinnacle of comfort food. Lasagna and ravioli are just two examples of the stellar dishes composed of noodles, but one of our favorites has to be pasta alla boscaiola. Made with a rich tomato sauce and pancetta, it's the exemplar of cozy and appetizing. The signature woodsy taste, however, comes from the mushrooms. To make the dish even more appetizing, soak the fungi in wine.

Pasta alla boscaiola gets its woodsy title from the word bosco, which translates to forest. As for the taste, that's thanks to the porcini mushrooms that lend the dish an earthy flair. However, we like to amp up our woodsy warming penne boscaiola by choosing to soak said porcini mushrooms in wine. The ingredient is nutty and earthy, with a meaty texture and sweet undertone that brings a delicious depth to any dish. In wine, though, the mushrooms come alive, and soaking them in liquid softens and imbues them with flavor. 

Leave the porcini mushrooms in white wine for around 30 minutes to give them ample time to take in the zesty flavors of the alcohol. Once the half-hour is up, drain the fungi and add them to the tomato sauce alongside other mixed mushrooms. While the extra addition boosts the woodsy flavor of the recipe, the wine-soaked porcini provide a bold taste to the dish.

Aside from the mushrooms, pasta alla boscaiola derives its richness from pancetta and tomato sauce. Opting for red over white when amping up the flavor of dried mushrooms with a wine soak would make complete sense if you want to lean into the depth of the dish. However, many other recipes go with white instead. To keep the dish authentic, use an Italian dry white wine — whichever one you go for is completely up to you. We suggest pinot grigio, which is light bodied and bright, often with citrusy fruits and a sharp minerality that finishes things off. When used to reconstitute dried mushrooms, the wine takes in some of the flavor while still maintaining an acidity that prevents the pasta from becoming overly rich.

The best Italian white wine to pair with tomato sauce, though, is one that's macerated. Certain bottles of pinot grigio, as well as other wines, can fall under this category. Once it's on the other side of the maceration process, the wine is stronger and bolder, making it more capable of standing up to the rich tomato sauce and earthy mushrooms.