This was on the cover of Bon Appetit back in October. I had that great made in Italy pappardelle on hand (we love that stuff -- tastes soooo much better than the really good pasta we buy at the store) so I decided to make it. I only had fresh button and crimini mushrooms on hand so I used 8 oz. of each. I used 1/2 cup of cream instead of 1/3 cup as I was getting tired at the stove and I had a little bit more liquid in the bottom of the pot than the recipe called for so I decided to beef up the cream a bit. It was truly delicious and pretty quick, all things considered. Almost forgot: I thought I had prosciutto on hand but I had to use 10 slices of pancetta instead, which tasted divine when crisped up. One more change: I only used 2 Tablespoons of olive oil to fry the pancetta which left plenty of oil in the pot for the mushrooms. Another quarter cup of oil would've been ridiculous. If you keep this recipe, you may want to edit that change in...
Pasta with Mushrooms and Prosciutto
Serves 4 / Recipe by Claire Saffitz; Bon Appetit, October 2016.
Getting the consistency of the creamy mushroom sauce right is key for this pasta recipe. You want to reduce it just until it clings to the pasta to create a light coating; be careful not to reduce it too much.
1/4 cup plus 2 Tablespoons olive oil
2 ounces thinly sliced prosciutto (about 6 slices)
1 pound mixed mushrooms (such as chanterelles, maitake, oyster,
crimini, and/or shiitake), torn into bite-size pieces
2 medium shallots, finely chopped
1 teaspoon thyme leaves, plus more for serving
Kosher salt, freshly ground pepper
1 cup chicken stock or low-sodium chicken broth
12 ounces pappardelle or fettuccine
1/3 cup heavy cream
2 Tablespoons unsalted butter
Heat 1/4 cup oil in a large Dutch oven or other heavy pot over medium. Arrange prosciutto in a single layer in pot and cook, turning once or twice, until crisp, about 5 minutes. Transfer to paper towels to drain.
Heat remaining 2 Tablespoons oil in same pot over high. Cook mushrooms, tossing occasionally, until browned and tender, 5–8 minutes. Reduce heat to medium-low. Add shallots and 1 teaspoon thyme, season with salt and pepper, and cook, stirring often, until shallots are translucent and softened, about 2 minutes. Add stock and reduce heat to low. Bring to a simmer and cook until only a thin layer of stock coats bottom of pot, 5−7 minutes.
Meanwhile, cook pasta in a large pot of boiling salted water, stirring occasionally, until very al dente, about 3 minutes less than package directions.
Using tongs, transfer pasta to pot with mushrooms and add 1 cup pasta cooking liquid. Crumble half of prosciutto into pot. Increase heat to medium, bring to a simmer, and cook, tossing constantly, until pasta is al dente and liquid is slightly thickened, about 2 minutes. Add cream, return to a simmer, and cook, tossing, until pasta is coated, about 1 minute. Remove from heat, add butter, and toss to combine. Taste and season with salt if needed.
Divide pasta among bowls. Top with more thyme and crumble remaining prosciutto over; season with pepper.