Photo: Strozzapretti alla Boscaiola: Priest Stranglers Woodsman-Style Recipe
Directions
1 recipe basic pasta dough, recipe follows
Ingredients
- 4 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
- 1 medium red onion, chopped into 1/4-inch dice
- 1 stalk celery, cut into 1/4-inch pieces
- 1 pound cremini or portobello mushrooms, quartered
- 1 ounce dried porcini mushrooms, soaked 10 minutes in warm water
1 cup basic tomato sauce, recipe follows
- 1 bunch Italian parsley, finely chopped to yield 1/4 cup
In a 12 to 14-inch saute pan, heat olive oil, onion and celery over medium high heat until soft, about 8 to10 minutes. Add mushrooms and cook until sweated, about 8 to 10 minutes. Add tomato sauce and bring to a boil. Meanwhile, drop pasta into boiling water and cook 1 minute, until soft. Drain well and toss into the pan with the mushrooms. Cook until well-coated. Add the parsley, toss into warm platter and serve.
BASIC PASTA DOUGH:
- 3 1/2 to 4 cups flour
- 4 eggs
- 1/2 teaspoon extra-virgin olive oil
Mound 3 1/2 cups of the flour in the center of a large wooden cutting board. Make a well in the middle of the flour and add the eggs and the olive oil. Using a fork, beat together the eggs and oil and begin to incorporate the flour, starting with the inner rim of the well.
As you expand the well, keep pushing the flour up from the base of the mound to retain the well shape. The dough will come together when half of the flour is incorporated.
Start kneading the dough with both hands, using the palms of your hands. Once you have a cohesive mass, remove the dough from the board and scrape up and discard any leftover bits. Lightly reflour the board and continue kneading for 6 more minutes. The dough should be elastic and a little sticky. Wrap the dough in plastic and allow to rest for 30 minutes at room temperature. Roll or shape as desired.
Yield: 4 servings
BASIC TOMATO SAUCE:
- 1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
- 1 Spanish onion, chopped in 1/4-inch dice
- 4 garlic cloves, peeled and thinly sliced
- 3 tablespoons chopped fresh thyme leaves, or 1 tablespoon dried
- 1/2 medium carrot, finely shredded
- 2 (28-ounce) cans peeled whole tomatoes, crushed by hand and juices reserved
- Salt, to taste
In a 3-quart saucepan, heat the olive oil over medium heat. Add the onion and garlic, cook until soft, and light golden brown, about 8 to 10 minutes. Add the thyme and carrot, and cook 5 minutes more, until the carrot is quite soft. Add the tomatoes and juice and bring to a boil, stirring often. Lower the heat and simmer for 30 minutes until as thick as hot cereal. Season with salt and serve. This sauce holds 1 week in the refrigerator or up to 6 months in the freezer.
Yield: 4 cups
