Casarecce Pasta with Mushrooms and Ricotta

When I come home from a work trip - or any trip involving several out-of-home meals - I crave nothing more than a nice home-cooked meal. Truth is, I actually enjoy my time in the kitchen (no shocker there). And despite being tired on a Friday night - using the last of my energy to whip up a tasty meal sounded like the perfect finale to a long work-week.

My inspiration for the night: A deep craving for PASTA.

Funny that someone who adheres to a gluten-free diet craves a dish that is inherently banned from the ingredient list - naturally full of gluten. However, as a gluten-free diet grows in popularity and awareness, food producers are following suit and providing great gluten-free options - pasta makers included.

To pick up our recipe ingredients, we took a trip to Eataly - a gourmet Italian market and collection of eateries located in the heart of Chicago (and an easy walk from home). Now, certainly we know that gluten-free is not in the Italian language and is likely shunned in this environment. However, we had heard that they had a pretty good gluten-free pasta option so while the ratio of pasta options were about 1% gluten free to 99% gluten filled - we were still happily surprised that there were options beyond the standard spaghetti and linguine. 

Enter "casarecce" pasta.

"Casarecce pasta is shaped like a very narrow, twisted and rolled tube. This pasta is best used when served with chunky sauce and can be used in a variety of casserole dishes."

What I love about the shorter, shaped pastas is that they can act as part of a dish and not overtake the whole plate. You can have a bite of pasta and also a bite of another dish component. This provides the opportunity to incorporate more flavors and ingredients into a dish and to not have pasta over-load.

For our dish - I wanted a balance of richness and brightness with focus on the complementary natures of the ingredients rather than an all consuming sauce to bring the dish together.

A recipe from Bon Appetit served as the base guide for our final result: Strozzapreti with Mushrooms and Ricotta

This is a dish that has that richness that I was looking for from the ricotta and soffrito (cooked down vegetables). It has brightness from lemon, chives and mint. It felt indulgent but not sinful. It was a perfect "welcome home" comfort meal.

The recipe calls for a Soffritto. Similar to a "Mirepoix" in French cooking - this is an Italian flavor base made by cooking down onions, carrots and onion to develop a rich, cohesive flavor. With a ratio of about 2 onion (red onion in the recipe) to 1 carrot and celery and a slow stir-fry time of approximately 30-35 minutes - the soffritto becomes more than just 'vegetables' in a dish. Topped off with smoked paprika - this combination adds depth to a relatively simple pasta dish.

We used mixed mushrooms as the main complement to the pasta: Shiitake, Maitake, and King Oyster.

• Shiitake mushrooms have a bit of a smoky/umami flavor that comes out best when cooked.
• Maitake (or "Hen of the Woods") mushrooms are rich and earthy and hold their shape when cooked.
• King Oyster (or "Trumpet") mushroom are firm and meaty with a mild flavor.

The three types paired beautifully together with complexity in both taste and texture. 

What I love about making pasta dishes is the moment that everything comes together. For this, you cook the soffritto and mushrooms separately - then add all components together with the cooked pasta to create a quickly composed final product.

Top the combined pasta with some dabs of ricotta, Parmesan cheese, olive oil and chives and you've got yourself an impressive but approachable pasta dish. Amazing how many options there are beyond the traditional pasta and red sauce. Here we have a true party on a plate!

Of course we had to have a lovely wine to go along with the pasta - it was Friday night after all. We retained an Italian theme through the wine and picked out a light Nebbiolo that was subtle enough not to overpower the pasta but with enough of a backbone to provide a sense of satisfaction with each sip.

This Parusso Nebbiolo was $22 at Eataly - so certainly an approachable wine not only in taste but in price. The Nebbiolo grape is the star behind the well revered Barolo and Barbaresco wines. Though typically having strong tanins and acidity - I found the Parusso to be a bit more elegant than some others of the same variety. It has silky red fruit with flowers and spice - none of which over-power the other. Quite enjoyable - particularly with food.

 Cheers!

Casarecce Pasta with Mushrooms and Ricotta
adapted from Bon Appetit "Strozzapreti with Mushrooms and Ricotta"

Ingredients:

Soffritto

• 1/4 cup olive oil
• 1 small red onion, chopped finely
• 1 large carrot, chopped finely
• 1 celery stalk, chopped finely
• salt and black pepper
• 1/4 teaspoon smoked paprika

Pasta

• 6 Tbsp. olive oil, divided
• 1 lb mixed mushrooms, chopped into 1/2 in. pieces (we used king trumpet, shiitake and mitake)
• salt and black pepper
• 1/3 cup white wine, divided
• 1 lb. casarecce pasta (or other short pasta)
• 1 garlic clove, minced
• 2 Tbsp. lemon juice
• 1 teaspoon lemon rind
• 2 Tbsp. fresh chives
• 1 small head frisee, leaves torn
• 1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper
• 1/2 cup grated Parmesan, divided
• 2/3 cup fresh ricotta
• 2 Tbsp. chopped fresh mint

Directions:

1. Heat oil in a medium skillet over medium-high heat. Add onion, carrot, and celery and cook, stirring often, until lightly golden, 5-8 minutes; season with salt and pepper. Reduce heat to medium-low and cook, stirring often, until vegetables have reduced in volume by two-thirds, 15-20 minutes. Add paprika and cook, stirring often, 5 minutes. Transfer to a small bowl.
2. Heat 2 Tbsp. oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add half of mushrooms; season with salt and pepper. Cook, tossing until browned - about 4 minutes. Add 2 Tbsp. white wine and cook over medium heat for another 5 minutes. Transfer to a bowl and repeat process with remaining mushrooms.
3. Meanwhile, cook pasta in a large pot of boiling salted water, stirring occasionally, until al dented, about 8 minutes. Drain, reserving 1 cup pasta cooking liquid.
4. Heat 2 Tbsp. oil in skillet over medium-low heat. Cook garlic, stirring, until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Toss in soffritto, mushrooms, lemon juice, lemon rind, crushed red pepper and remaining white wine. Cook for 2 minutes. Add the pasta, 2 Tbsp. chives, half of Parmesan and torn frisee. Toss to blend. Thin with pasta cooking liquid as needed. Season with salt and pepper.
5. Serve topped with ricotta, remaining Parmesan, minced chives and mint. Drizzle with oil.
6. Consume.