Fettuccine No Fredo With Broccoli And SautÉed Mushrooms Recipes

FETTUCCINE NO-FREDO WITH BROCCOLI AND SAUTÉED MUSHROOMS

Steps:

• Sauce: Using the lesser amounts of each seasoning, place all the sauce ingredients except nutritional yeast into a large saucepan and cook, covered, until the cauliflower is very soft, about 15 minutes. When it's completely tender, use a blender to puree the cauliflower to a smooth sauce. (If you have a good hand blender, I recommend you do this in the pot.) Check the seasoning of the sauce, and add more to taste; add the nutritional yeast. Allow the sauce to simmer and thicken while you prepare the mushrooms and pasta. Sautéed Mushrooms: Heat a non-stick skillet brushed or sprayed with a little olive oil. Add the garlic and mushrooms, and cook, stirring, until the mushrooms begin to exude their juices. You can prevent them from drying out by keeping the skillet covered between stirrings. When the mushrooms get juicy, add the wine and salt to taste. Cook just until the wine is absorbed and then set aside, covered, until ready to serve. Pasta: Bring a large pot of water to a boil, add the fettuccine and salt, if desired, and set a timer for 3 minutes less than the amount of time indicated on the package. When the timer goes off, add the broccoli and cook for three minutes, or until the pasta is al dente. (For my fettuccine, this meant I cooked it for 9 minutes, added the broccoli, and cooked it for 3 more.) Drain the pasta and broccoli and return it to the pan. Stir in the cauliflower sauce and serve topped with sautéed mushrooms The pureed cauliflower forms a light yet creamy sauce that moistens the pasta and broccoli, while the sautéed mushrooms add chewy texture and earthy flavor. Besides being a great way to sneak a vegetable into a meal, this just tastes good. Try it with your favorite blend of spices and let me know your results.

FETTUCCINE WITH MUSHROOMS

Steps:

• Bring a large pot of water to a boil over medium heat. Salt the water, add the pasta and cook to al dente. Heads up: Remove and reserve 1 cup of cooking water just before draining.
• Heat the extra-virgin olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the mushrooms and saute until deeply browned and tender, 12 to 15 minutes, adding the garlic, thyme, and sage midway through the cooking. Season the mushrooms with salt and pepper, to taste, and a little freshly grated nutmeg. Deglaze the pan with the Marsala and stir for 30 seconds. Stir in the cream, (or if you prefer, top the pasta with a dollop of ricotta at serving time). Stir in the reserved pasta cooking water, about 1 cup if using ricotta, and just enough to thin out the sauce to your liking if using cream.
• Drain the pasta and toss with sauce, parsley, and cheese. Transfer the pasta to a serving bowls and top each with a dollop of ricotta, if using, for mixing into the fettuccine as you eat.

FETTUCCINE WITH BRAISED MUSHROOMS AND BABY BROCCOLI

Steps:

• Place the dried mushrooms in a Pyrex measuring cup and pour on 2 cups boiling water. Let soak 30 minutes while you prepare the other ingredients. Place a strainer over a bowl; line it with cheesecloth, a coffee filter or paper towels; and drain the mushrooms. Squeeze the mushrooms over the strainer to extract all the flavorful juices, and measure out 1 1/2 cups of the broth. Rinse the mushrooms, away from the bowl with the broth, until they are free of sand. Squeeze dry and set aside. If very large, chop coarsely.
• Begin heating a large pot of water for the pasta. Heat the olive oil in a large, heavy nonstick skillet or saucepan over medium heat, and add the shallot. Cook, stirring for a few minutes, until tender, and add the fresh mushrooms and salt to taste. Cook, stirring often, until the mushrooms begin to soften and to sweat, about five minutes. Add the garlic, and continue to cook the mushrooms, stirring often, until they have softened a little more, about two minutes. Add the reconstituted dried mushrooms, the wine and rosemary (or thyme), and turn the heat to high. Cook, stirring often, until the wine evaporates and the pan is almost dry, five to 10 minutes. Stir in the mushroom broth. Bring to a simmer, and cook over medium heat, stirring often, until the mushrooms are thoroughly tender and fragrant and the surrounding broth is thick and gravy-like, about 20 minutes. Taste and adjust salt and pepper. Remove from the heat, and keep warm.
• When the pasta water comes to a boil, salt generously and add the baby broccoli. Blanch for five minutes, until tender but still bright. With a slotted spoon or skimmer, transfer to the pan with the mushrooms.
• Add the pasta to the boiling water. Cook al dente, until firm to the bite, following the directions on the package but checking a minute or two before the end of the designated cooking time. (Note that some egg noodles, such as Al Dente Pasta, take only three to four minutes). Add a ladleful of pasta cooking water to the mushrooms and baby broccoli, drain the pasta, and toss with the mushrooms and broccoli in a large pasta bowl or in the pan. Serve at once, passing Parmesan at the table.

PASTA WITH MUSHROOMS AND BROCCOLI

Steps:

• Cut broccoli stalks away from crowns and peel stalks. Use a vegetable peeler to shave stalks into thin ribbons. Set aside. Cut crowns into thin slices (about 1/4 inch). Combine with the little flower buds that fall off onto your cutting surface in a bowl.
• Begin heating a large pot of water for the pasta. Heat 1 tablespoon of the oil over medium-high heat in a large, heavy skillet. Add sliced mushrooms and sauté until lightly colored and beginning to sweat, 3 to 5 minutes. Reduce heat to medium, add salt to taste, another tablespoon of oil, and shaved broccoli stems. Continue to sauté until the broccoli stem ribbons are crisp-tender, 3 to 5 minutes. Add garlic and thyme, season to taste with salt and pepper, and cook, stirring, until garlic smells fragrant, 30 seconds to a minute. Remove from heat.
• When water in the pasta pot comes to a boil, add salt to taste and spaghetti. Set timer for 2 minutes less than the cooking time suggested on the package. When it goes off, add thinly sliced broccoli crowns and flower buds, and cook 2 minutes more, or until the pasta is al dente. Using a ladle, transfer 1/2 cup of the pasta cooking water to the pan with the mushrooms and shaved broccoli stems. Drain the pasta and broccoli and toss with the mushroom and stem mixture, either in a large bowl or right in the pan. Serve with Parmesan cheese.