It’s no secret that I love pasta. You can’t go wrong with a delicious plate of pasta, it’s so versatile, the possibilities are endless! Just like this one, which includes mushrooms, pancetta, and pistachios. This dish is so flavourful and absolutely delicious; we’re lucky if we have any leftover!
I first made this dish last Easter when we wanted to change things up a little bit and my sister sent me this recipe by Giada Di Laurentiis, but I tweaked it a little and substituted some ingredients. I made paccheri the first time around, but they take forever to cook and when the fam is hungry, they’re hungry, so I now make this dish with rigatoni, penne, or farfalle, but I would like to try it with parpadelle next time.
Ingredients:
- 3 tbsps of olive oil
- 2 tbsps of butter
- 2-3 garlic cloves, chopped
- 1 onion, sliced
- 1/3 cup of pancetta, diced
- 1 pack of button mushrooms (You can use another type of mushrooms you like)
- 500 gr of pasta- 1 tbsp of salt
- 1/4 cup of homemade red wine (Don’t forget some for yourself)
- 1/3 cup of reserved pasta water
- Pistachios, crushed for garnish
- Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese for serving
Instructions:
Bring a large pot of water to boil, add salt to the water and then the pasta. In a large skillet, add the olive oil and sauté the garlic and onions for about two minutes; the onions should become a little translucent. Add the mushrooms and butter to the skillet and cook for about 4 minutes or until the mushrooms are browned, then add the wine and cook for one minute.
Now, you can either cook the pancetta in a skillet until it becomes a little crunchy (like bacon), or you can cook it with the rest of the mixture. Both ways are good, it depends on what you prefer. If you’re cooking the pancetta directly in the mixture, it won’t be crunchy, so cook for about 5-10 minutes on medium-high heat. Reduce to low heat and let simmer while pasta cooks.
Reserve some pasta water and add the drained pasta to the skillet and stir. Garnish with pistachios and cheese.
And there you have it! If you decide to make this dish, I hope you enjoy it as much as I do.
