MAIN DISH

PASTA WITH SPRINGTIME PEAS, MUSHROOMS & TOMATO-CREAM SAUCE

The creamy mushroom sauce and the little peas will be delicious on any midsized to large pasta such as penne, fettuccini, farfalle or pappardelle.

• 5 to 7 slices dried porcini mushrooms

• 3 to 4 tablespoons unsalted butter

• 1 small onion or 2 shallots, chopped

• 1 to 2 cloves garlic, chopped

• About 8 ounces fresh mushrooms, diced (use either white, cremini, oyster, a selection, as desired)

• ¼ cup dry white wine

• ¼ cup chicken broth or strained porcini water

• 14 ounce can diced tomatoes

• 1 cup shelled young peas, or combination of peas, snow peas and sugar snap peas

• Salt and freshly ground pepper

• A few leaves of fresh basil, torn plus extra for garnish

• 6 to 8 ounces creme fraiche

• About 1 pound pasta of choice

• Freshly grated Parmesan or pecorino cheese, to taste

In a small bowl, rehydrate the dried porcini mushrooms in 1 cup hot water for 20 minutes. Remove the mushrooms, roughly chop and set aside. Strain the porcini water through a coffee filter or damp paper towel and use for the sauce, or reserve for future use.

Over medium high heat, melt the butter in a large nonstick frying pan and lightly sauté the onion or shallots until soft, about 2/3 minutes. Stir in the garlic and fresh mushrooms and sauté together until mushrooms glisten and cook through about halfway, about 3 minutes.

Add the white wine and cook over high heat until nearly evaporated, then add the broth or porcini water, tomatoes and their juices and porcini mushrooms. Cook over high heat until mixture becomes rich and sauce-like, and add the peas. Reduce heat to medium-low, season with salt and pepper, add the basil and stir in the creme fraiche, slowly adding some sauce to the creme fraiche before stirring it into the pot, to keep it from curdling. Cook over a medium to medium low heat, simmering gently to thicken.

Meanwhile, bring a large pot of salted water to boil. Add the pasta and cook according to package instructions until al dente. Reserve 1 cup of the pasta cooking water, then drain the pasta.

Toss the drained pasta with the sauce over medium-low heat, adding a little cooking water and the cheese as you toss it together until it reaches the desired consistency. Serve right away with a sprinkling of extra basil leaves. Makes 4 or 5 servings.

Per serving: 637 calories, 19 g protein, 94 g carbohydrate, 20 g fat (11 g saturated), 42 mg cholesterol, 252 mg sodium, 8 g fiber.

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