Fettuccine With Morel And Asparagus Recipes

ASPARAGUS WITH MOREL MUSHROOMS

Steps:

• Put morels, porcinis or both in a bowl with very hot water to cover; soak until soft, about 20 minutes. Drain morels and reserve soaking liquid. Cut morels in half; if porcinis are large, chop them roughly.
• Melt butter in a large skillet over medium-high heat; when butter is hot and foam has subsided, add shallots and reconstituted and fresh mushrooms to pan. Cook until shallots soften and fresh mushrooms have released their liquid and it has cooked off, about 10 minutes.
• Add asparagus and 1/2 cup reserved liquid to pan. Bring liquid to a boil, cover, reduce heat so mixture simmers, and continue cooking for another 2 to 4 minutes, or until asparagus is crisp-tender. Add cream and tarragon or chervil and continue cooking, uncovered, until sauce thickens slightly and asparagus is tender, about 4 minutes more. Season with salt and pepper and serve.

TAGLIERINI WITH MORELS, ASPARAGUS, AND NASTURTIUMS

Steps:

• Prepare fresh pasta if using.
• Soak dried morels in 1 cup warm water 20 minutes. Agitate morels to dislodge grit, then remove from water, squeezing liquid from mushrooms back into bowl. Reserve liquid. When grit has settled, carefully pour mushroom liquid into a small bowl, leaving sediment behind (if necessary, strain liquid through a dampened coffee filter or cheesecloth). Remove any tough stems from morels.
• Trim and discard tough ends from asparagus. Cut off top 2 inches of tips and halve tips lengthwise. Cut remaining asparagus into long diagonal slices about 1/4 inch thick.
• Simmer wine, lemon juice, and shallots in a large heavy skillet until liquid is reduced to about 2 tablespoons. Add cream and simmer 1 minute. Add morels, mushroom soaking liquid, and broth, then simmer 5 minutes. Add butter all at once and cook sauce over moderately low heat, whisking constantly, just until creamy and butter is incorporated. (Do not let sauce get so hot that butter separates and sauce loses creamy consistency.) Remove skillet from heat and season sauce with salt and pepper. Keep warm, covered.
• If using fresh taglierini, shake off excess flour. Cook fresh taglierini with asparagus in a 6-quart pot of boiling salted water until pasta is al dente, about 1 minute. (For dried pasta, follow package instructions and add asparagus during last minute of cooking.) Reserve 1/2 cup cooking water and drain pasta and asparagus in a colander.
• Toss pasta and asparagus in a large bowl with ‚ cup sauce (without morels), one third of nasturtiums, and enough reserved pasta water to keep moist. Stir remaining nasturtiums into sauce.
• To serve, wind each portion of taglierini around a carving fork and transfer to center of a soup plate. Surround with asparagus, morels, and sauce.

OPEN-FACE LASAGNA WITH MOREL MUSHROOMS AND ASPARAGUS

Steps:

• 1. Rinse off the mushrooms and pat dry. Cut off the thickest part of the stems and discard. Cut the mushrooms into 1-inch pieces, roughly halves or quarters, depending on the size of the mushrooms.
• 2. In a large, wide skillet over medium-high heat, add the olive oil. Once the oil is hot, add the mushrooms, salt, pepper, and chile flakes. Stir to coat the mushrooms evenly with the olive oil. Saute until the mushrooms become golden, 12 to 15 minutes. Add the shallots and asparagus, stir, and cook until the mushrooms are deep golden and the asparagus is tender but firm, about 8 more minutes. Stir in the garlic and cook for 30 seconds more, just to bring out the flavor of the garlic but not to brown it.
• 3. Add the white wine and simmer until reduced by half. Turn off the heat and set aside. Stir in the butter until melted and fully incorporated.
• 4. While the mushrooms are cooking, bring a large pot of water to a boil. Once the water is boiling, cook the lasagna according to the package instructions. Once the pasta is cooked to al dente, pull it out of the water and drain (do not rinse). Rub with a touch of olive oil to prevent sticking and set 1 sheet of pasta on each of four plates.
• 5. Divide the Taleggio and Parmesan evenly across the pasta. Spoon the mushroom-asparagus mixture over the cheeses. The heat will partially melt the cheeses. Shower the basil on top of each plate. Drizzle a touch of extra virgin olive oil and a touch more Parmesan over each. Serve.

FETTUCCINE WITH MORELS

Steps:

• Bring 6 to 8 quarts of water to boil for the fettuccine. Meanwhile, soften the onion in the butter in a skillet. If they are gritty, rinse the morels quickly under running water. Slice the caps and chop the stalks.
• Add the morels to the onions with the stock. Simmer for 10 to 15 minutes, stirring occasionally. Season to taste with salt and pepper.
• Cook the fettuccine until al dente. Drain and combine in a heated bowl with the morels and the parsley. Toss immediately and serve, passing the Parmesan cheese separately.

ASPARAGUS WITH MORELS AND TARRAGON

Steps:

• Put morels, porcinis or both in a bowl with very hot water to cover; soak until soft, about 20 minutes. Drain morels and reserve soaking liquid. Cut morels in half; if porcinis are large, chop them roughly.
• Melt butter in a large skillet over medium-high heat; when butter is hot and foam has subsided, add shallots and reconstituted and fresh mushrooms to pan. Cook until shallots soften and fresh mushrooms have released their liquid and it has cooked off, about 10 minutes.
• Add asparagus and 1/2 cup reserved liquid to pan. Bring liquid to a boil, cover, reduce heat so mixture simmers, and continue cooking for another 2 to 4 minutes, or until asparagus is crisp-tender. Add cream and tarragon or chervil and continue cooking, uncovered, until sauce thickens slightly and asparagus is tender, about 4 minutes more. Season with salt and pepper and serve.

FETTUCCINE WITH MORELS

Steps:

• Bring six to eight quarts of water to boil for the fettuccine.
• Scoop the dry morels up from their soaking liquid and squeeze them, letting them drain back into the bowl. Strain the soaking liquid through several layers of cheesecloth. Rinse the morels under running water and slice them.
• Prepare the fresh morels. Rinse them quickly under running water and dry them with paper towels. Slice the tops and stems.
• Soften the shallots in the butter in a skillet. Add the morels and the dried morels with their soaking liquid with the chicken stock and simmer for 10 to 15 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add the cream and reduce until thickened enough to coat a spoon. Season to taste with salt and pepper.
• Cook the fettuccine in the boiling water until al dente. Drain and combine in a heated bowl with the morels and the parsley. Toss immediately and serve, passing the Parmesan cheese separately.

FETTUCCINE WITH MORELS, ASPARAGUS, AND GOAT CHEESE

Steps:

• In a heavy skillet cook the shallot in the butter over moderately low heat, stirring, until it is softened, add the wine, and simmer the mixture until the wine is reduced by half. Add the broth and the morels, sliced crosswise, and simmer the mixture, covered, for 10 minutes, or until the morels are tender. Add the cream and the goat cheese and cook the mixture over low heat, stirring, until the cheese is melted. Stir in the asparagus, the chives, and salt and pepper to taste and keep the sauce warm. In a kettle of boiling salted water cook the fettuccine until it is al dente, drain it well, and in a bowl toss the pasta with the sauce.

FETTUCCINE WITH ASPARAGUS, MORELS, AND TARRAGON

Steps:

• If using dried morels, place in 2-cup measuring cup and pour enough hot water over to reach 2-cup mark. Let soak until soft, pushing down occasionally if morels rise to top, about 20 minutes. Drain, reserving soaking liquid; add enough water to measure 1 1/4 cups if needed. Cut large morels in half.
• Melt butter in heavy large skillet over medium-high heat. Add shallots and fresh or reconstituted morels; sauté until shallots are tender, about 6 minutes. Add asparagus and 1 1/4 cups broth (if using fresh morels) or reserved soaking liquid (if using dried morels). Bring to boil, cover, and cook 2 minutes. Stir in cream and 2 tablespoons chopped tarragon. Simmer uncovered until sauce thickens slightly, about 4 minutes. Season sauce to taste with salt and pepper.
• Meanwhile, cook pasta in large pot of boiling salted water until just tender but still firm to bite, stirring occasionally. Drain pasta and return to pot. Add 1/2 cup Parmesan cheese and sauce; toss. Transfer to bowl; sprinkle with remaining 1/2 tablespoon tarragon. Serve with remaining Parmesan cheese.

FETTUCCINE WITH MUSHROOMS AND ASPARAGUS

Steps:

• 1. Bring 6 quarts water to a boil in a large, heavy-bottomed pot over high heat, then add 2 tablespoons salt.
• 2. While waiting for the water to boil, heat the oil in a sauté pan over medium heat. Add the onion and pepper flakes and sauté quickly to keep the ingredients from scorching. Add the mushrooms, season with salt and pepper, and sauté until the mushrooms darken slightly in color and are softened but still holding their shape, about 5 minutes. Add the broth and asparagus and cook, stirring gently, for 2 minutes. Stir in the cream, immediately reduce the heat to keep it from scorching, and cook for several minutes.
• 3. Meanwhile, toast the pine nuts in a sauté pan over low heat, shaking the pan, just until they are warm and fragrant, about 2 minutes.
• 4. Add the pasta to the boiling water and cook until al dente, 7 to 9 minutes from the time the water returns to a boil (10 minutes if you are using pappardelle).
• 5. Add the basil, butter, pine nuts, and cheese to the pan with the mushrooms and toss well.
• 6. Reserve a cup or so of the pasta's cooking liquid, then drain the pasta and add it to the pan with the mushrooms, asparagus, and sauce. If the sauce seems too dry, stir in a few tablespoons of the reserved pasta water. Toss, taste, and adjust the seasoning with salt, pepper, and more pepper flakes if necessary.
• 7. Present the pasta in a bowl and serve family style from the center of the table, or divide among individual plates.
• Your Nightly Specials
• Mushrooms: Instead of using the cremini, use 1 cup dried porcini mushrooms.
• Dried Mushrooms: Dried mushrooms like porcini, morel, and chanterelle offer a quick way to add flavor to cooking and are especially useful in the off season or winter months. Always rinse dried mushrooms under cold running water to remove any lingering dirt and sand, then reconstitute them in hot water for 20 minutes, drain, and strain the liquid. Save the liquid for soups and sauces. Keeping a small packet of dried mushrooms, which costs just a few dollars, in your pantry will five earthy flavor on demand.
• Use a spice grinder to grind dried porcini to a powder. This seasoning powder will very economically make a full pot of risotto taste like a much more costly version, something many restaurants do to make flavors pop. Add 1 tablespoon to the finished mushrooms for a powerful and full flavor at an economical price.
• Porcini Mushrooms: Fresh porcini are among the most delicious of mushrooms. When they are available each fall, by all means use them, although they are expensive and need to be cooked as quickly as possible because they are highly perishable.
• Add 1/2 cup of blanched and shocked fresh or frozen peas, spincach, and/or broccoli buds.
• Toss some shredded, leftover roasted turkey or duck meat into the pan along with the cooked pasta.