The only drawback to cooking all these wonderful meals is that it can be pretty time-consuming, especially when you have other evening commitments; sometimes we don’t end up sitting down to eat until 9:30 or later! So it’s good to have a collection of quick recipes to come back to when you know you’ll be pressed for time. This recipe, based on one by Mario Batali in The Mushroom Lover’s Mushroom Cookbook, is one we’ll be adding to the rotation. Start to finish, this meal takes less than 30 minutes to prepare. Presto! (Pasta Night!)

Chris says:

I can’t believe you used to hate mushrooms.

Lisa says:

I can relate to people not liking them, but these are delicious. So you cut a bunch of oil out of the recipe?

Chris says:

Yep, the original called for like 5 tablespoons… that’s “Molto” Mario for you!

Fettuccine with Shiitakes
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1 1/2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
3 cloves garlic, thinly sliced
8 oz shiitake mushrooms, stemmed, cleaned, and cut in half
1 cup chicken broth
2 oz sweet red vermouth
8 oz fresh fettuccine
1 bunch of arugula, cleaned and chopped (1 cup)

Heat the oil in a large saute pan over medium heat. Saute the garlic until soft but not burned. Add the shiitakes and cook until they give up their liquid, 2 to 3 minutes.
Pour in the stock and vermouth. Bring to a boil and boil until reduced by half, about 5 minutes. The sauce should just coat the mushrooms.
Bring a pot of water to boil and cook the fettuccine until al dente.
Over high heat, toss the arugula into the shiitake sauce until it just wilts. Pour the sauce over the drained pasta. Serve hot.

2 Servings.