Recipe: Orecchiette Pasta with Porcini Mushrooms & Crème Fraîche Sauce

It’s been a while since i have cooked something in my kitchen. Aside from the odd slice of toast here or there. On Saturday i decided that i wanted to cook something wholesome for lunch especially now i have  *new ingredients* that i wanted to try out…

This recipe is so simple, it took me exactly 15 minutes to cook…

What did i use?

Orecchiette Pasta, Dried Porcini Mushrooms, Crème Fraîche, Butter, Nutmeg, Button Mushrooms, One Clove Garlic, Flour, and some Parsley

Porcini Mushrooms are AMAZING! They smell a bit but their taste is so sharp it will instantly take any old boring dish to a new culinary lever… It is available in TSC and Dead and Deluca but it is a bit overprice in Q8. I got mine from the UK for like 1/3 the price…

I need to rehydrate the Porcini Mushrooms before i start cooking. I put a little amount of mushrooms in a bowl. They are smelly and shrivilled o 7alat.hom bel wail!

Add warm water… they need to soak for 30 minutes

While i wait for the mushrooms to soak i set the table, boiled some water for the pasta, cut the other button mushrooms into slices, and chopped the parsley

For the first time i am using Orecchiette Pasta. I think it translates to ‘little ears’ in Italian because it does look like little ears. It is supposed to be very good with cream based sauces since it holds the sauce well -it did- I remember seeing them once in Q8 in M&S at 360 but then they were sold out so i got mine from Carluccio’s UK…

I measured out 160g for me and my husband so it’s 80g of pasta per person

A closeup of the Orecchiette! It is so cute! Reminds me of Cornflakes

I added the pasta to the boiling water, set the timer for 12 minutes.

I put some water and salt in a pan and waited for them to boil, meanwhile in another pan i added a tiny bit of butter, about 10g only… butter brings out the flavor in mushrooms better than olive oil

Added the crushed garlic clove, one clove is enough for a sauce serving two people

Added the sliced button mushrooms to the butter and garlic mixture, added salt and pepper, stirred

30 minutes are up… time to drain the Porcini

All drained, they need to be chopped quickly…

The Porcini Mushrooms are in…

When the mushrooms begin to wilt, all juicy and watery, i added a little bit of normal white flour, about 2 teaspoons only, then i stirred it quickly so it wouldn’t cling to the bottom of the pan.

It’s time to add the Crème Fraîche… the only brand i found was the Yeo Valley half fat one in TSC Salmiya or Alkout. Crème Fraîche is a cross between Cream and Sour Cream. It is a bit lighter than cream yet it is less sour than Sour Cream… more like a half fat labna… it was the perfect companion to this dish especially since i am not a big fan of full cream and fat.

I didn’t add a lot, maybe 75-90g only which is almost half the packet. and i started mixing

Meanwhile when the pasta is done, i drain it and kept about 3 table spoons of the boiling water…

I added the water to the mushroom cream mix and stirred

Spice time! i added a bit of salt, freshly ground pepper, and a dash of nutmeg. The nutmeg is very sharp but when coupled with cream it will add a lovely kick, otherwise the sauce would be a bit blah.

Just before i serve the pasta i sprinkle the chopped parsley, give it one more stir… and it’s time to serve

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