Pappardelle with funghi porcini

Pappardelle with funghi porcini: they lend themselves well to a long, and wider, pasta shape like this. Fettuccine work well too, but also a shorter pasta like rigatoni, penne and my current favorite.

Funghi porcini are best fresh but they also freeze well for future use.

Pappardelle with funghi porcini (four people):

Ingredients:
Pasta, 400 grams (14 ounces)
Funghi porcini, sliced thickly or quartered, ½ kilogram (1.1 pounds)
Olive oil, 60 milliliters (4 tablespoons)
Fresh tomatoes, 5 medium
Peperoncino, to taste (I generally use one medium hot pepper)
Garlic cloves, two peeled and crushed
Parmesan cheese, freshly grated 50 grams (1 ¾ ounces)
Parsley, one bunch chopped yielding about ¼ cup

Procedure:

Cleaning mushrooms: never wash them as they absorb water. Instead, use a mushroom brush. You should use one with bristles that are firm enough to remove the dirt, but soft enough that you don't tear or scratch the mushrooms.

Sauté the garlic and peperoncino in olive oil until sizzling.

The sauce is prepared simply, with olive oil, garlic and a hint of peperoncino. Add a few fresh tomatoes and then funghi porcini.

If your sauce is too dry once you toss in the pasta add a bit of pasta water...the universal way to render a sauce creamier. Top with freshly grated Parmesan cheese and parsley. Scrumptious!