Traditional Boscaiola Recipes

PASTA ALLA BOSCAIOLA

Steps:

• Bring a large pot of water to a boil and salt it generously. Cook the pasta according to packet instructions until al dente.
• Meanwhile, heat the olive oil in a large skillet, once hot add the finely chopped shallot and saute for 1-2 minutes until softened.
• Add the sliced mushrooms and fry until softened (3-4 minutes). Next, add the Italian sausages removed from their casing and cook until browned.
• Add the cream, Parmigiano Reggiano and a good pinch of salt and pepper. Stir then simmer gently for a few minutes until thickened slightly.
• Add the cooked pasta with a splash of reserved pasta water to loosen the sauce if needed. Add the parsley, toss to combine then serve with more pepper and parmesan.

ITALIAN CHICKEN BOSCAIOLA

Steps:

• In a medium pan add the olive oil and garlic, cook on low heat for about a minute, then add the mushrooms, pinch of salt and chopped parsley, combine and cover. Let cook for a few minutes, then uncover and continue cooking until the mushroom are tender and slightly browned. Set aside.
• Dredge the chicken pieces well in flour, set aside.
• In a large pan add the butter, when melted add the dredged chicken, sprinkle with a pinch or two of salt and cook on medium heat turning to brown on both sides. Remove the chicken from the pan.
• To the pan add the mushrooms, white sauce, wine, water and black pepper, gently stir to combine. Then heat on high and bring to a boil, lower the heat to low/medium add the chicken, cover the pan and cook for approximately 30 minutes until the chicken is cooked through. Stir often so the mixture doesn't burn, and turn the chicken over at the halfway point.
• Remove the cover and let thicken if needed or desired. Serve immediately.

PASTA BOSCAIOLA

Steps:

• In a medium saucepan, stir together the broth and dried porcini. Bring the stock to a simmer over high heat. Then reduce to low, cover and simmer for 15 minutes or until the mushrooms are tender.
• Meanwhile, bring a large pot of generously-salted water to a boil for the pasta.
• Meanwhile, cook the pancetta in a large saucepan over medium-high heat, stirring occasionally, for about 3-5 minutes or until the fat has rendered. Use a slotted spoon to transfer the pancetta to a clean plate and set aside. Leave about 1.5 tablespoons of the pancetta grease in the pan and discard the rest. (Or if there's not enough grease, add a bit of olive oil at any point while sautéing the veggies.)
• Add the quartered baby bella mushrooms to the pan and sauté in the pancetta grease, stirring occasionally, until browned. Add the shallots, garlic, rosemary, thyme, crushed red pepper flakes, and a few twists of black pepper and sauté for 3 minutes, stirring frequently.
• Gradually pour in the white wine and use a wooden spoon to loosen any browned bits on the bottom of the pan. Add the crushed tomatoes, tomato paste, cooked pancetta and stir to combine.
• Meanwhile, transfer the cooked porcini mushrooms to a cutting board and roughly-chop them into bite-sized pieces. Transfer chopped mushrooms to the tomato sauce, along with 1 ½ cups of the porcini broth. (Be sure to filter the broth through a fine-mesh strainer to avoid any silt that may have gathered in the bottom of the pan.)
• Reduce heat to medium-low. Continue to simmer the sauce for about 15 minutes, or however long it takes the pasta to cook.
• Meanwhile, add the pasta to the boiling water and cook until 1 minute shy of al dente. Reserve 1 cup of the starchy pasta water, then drain the pasta.
• Stir the cream into the tomato sauce. Then combine the tomato sauce and cooked pasta in the large stockpot and gently toss for 1-2 minutes until the pasta reaches al dente, adding in a few spoonfuls of the starchy pasta water at a time if needed to thin the sauce. Taste and season with salt and pepper as needed.
• Serve. Serve immediately with a generous sprinkling of Parmesan cheese.

BOSCAIOLA PIZZA

Steps:

• Start with making the pizza dough. Proof the yeast in the 1/8 cup warm water and 1/4 tsp sugar.
• Put flour and 3/4 tsp salt in a bowl. Add water, yeast mixture and 1 tsp olive oil and knead dough to a ball with nice elastic and smooth consistency. cover with damp cloth and leave to rise for 1-1,5 hours until dough has doubled in size.
• In the meantime, start preparing sauce and toppings. For the sauce, chop garlic and shallots very finely. Put approximately 3/4 of the mushrooms in a food processor and process to a puree.
• Slice remaining mushrooms and fry them in 1 tbs of olive oil until browned, set aside.
• Remove meat from sausage casing and fry in a frying pan until browned, working it with a wooden spoon to get nice small chunks of meat. Add fennel seeds the last 2 minutes. Set aside.
• In a frying pan, heat 1/2 tbs butter and 1/2 tbs olive oil on medium-low heat and cook shallots and garlic without browning them, just until the raw aroma dissapears. Add mushroom puree and cook until most of the moisture has evaporized and the mixture starts to darken in color.
• Add the wine, bring to a boil until alcohol has evaporized. Add chopped parsley, sage and vegetable stock and simmer until sauce has thickened. Season with salt and black pepper to taste.
• Preheat oven to 500 degrees F.
• Roll dough with rolling pin into a circle of about 12 inches and place onto pizza stone or baking tray. Bake the bare crust for 4 minutes. Remove from oven and coat with boscaiola sauce. Top with fried mushrooms, sausage and grated mozzarella. Bake another 6-8 minutes until edges are light brown and cheese has melted. Remove from oven, garnish with fresh parsley, a drizzle of olive oil and serve.

QUICK AND CREAMY BOSCAIOLA PASTA (BACON AND MUSHROOM)

Steps:

• Cook the pasta in a large saucepan of rapidly boiling salted water until 'al dente'. Drain, return to the pan, and keep warm.
• While the pasta is cooking, heat the oil in a large frying pan, add the bacon and mushroom, and cook, stirring, for 5 minutes, or until golden brown.
• Stir in a little of the cream, and scrape the wooden spoon on the bottom of the pan to dislodge any bacon that has stuck.
• Add the remaining cream, bring to the boil, and cook over high heat for 15 minutes, OR until the sauce is thick enough to coat the back of a spoon.
• Stir the spring onion through the mixture.
• Pour the sauce over the pasta, and toss to combine.
• Serve sprinkled with the parsley.