Spring mushrooms and peas are a tour de force of the season. If you have never tried morels, they taste very “beefy” and rich. They are hunted all over the world simply for their taste. Sweet English peas, beefy morels and tender pasta are a spring match made in culinary heaven. Serve this as a side with my other spring favorite, Wild Alaskan salmon, or as a luscious main course.
Pasta with Morel Mushrooms and English Peas
Servings
4 Servings
Ingredients
- Extra virgin olive oil
- 2 medium shallots minced
- 2 cloves garlic minced
- 4 ounces morel mushrooms or favorite mushroom, rinsed and dried completely
- ½ pound shelled English peas from about 1 ½ pounds unshelled peas
- 1/3 cup water
- 4 tablespoons of cold butter cut into 8 pieces
- 1 pound favorite pasta cooked al dente (I like tagliatelle, or other wide ribbon shaped pasta for this)
- ½ cup grated parmesan cheese
- Kosher salt and freshly cracked pepper
- Suggested garnishes: fresh chervil chopped parsley
Instructions
- Place a large sauté pan, with 3 tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil over medium heat. Add the shallots, garlic and morel mushrooms and sauté, stirring occasionally, for about 10 minutes. Add the peas and water to the pan and continue cooking for about 10 minutes until the peas are tender.
- Keep the heat on medium and whisk the butter into the pan, a piece at a time, being sure to melt each piece before adding the second. This is called Beurre Monte ‘(pronounced burr montay) and is a technique for creating a light, buttery sauce. The water and cold butter should form an emulsified sauce when whisked together over medium heat. This is an easy technique and just sounds complicated!
- Toss in the pasta and parmesan cheese and adjust seasoning with salt and pepper. Garnish with my favorite delicate herb, chervil or chopped parsley. Serve immediately.
Leave a Reply