This beautiful seasonal recipe from Julie Le Clerc was served as the entrée in last week's cooking class. Tender orecchiette are generously stuffed with a creamy porcini mushroom filling, then baked in a vibrant pasta sauce with Parmigiano and fresh herbs. Comforting, elegant and full of earthy flavour, it's a wonderful dish to enjoy throughout the cooler months.
Serves 6 as a started, or 4 as a light meal
20g Naturbosco porcini mushrooms or Sabarot cèpes
18 shells La Genuina orecchiotte
Extra virgin olive oil (EVO)
360g jar Sabato organic pasta sauce ~ tomato with basil
Sal de Añana spring salt
Freshly ground black pepper
200g portobello mushrooms, wiped clean
1 cup (250g) ricotta
2 Tbsp Sabato porcini crema
A few sprigs of thyme, leaves picked
25g Parmigiano Reggiano, shaved
Put dried porcini in a small bowl; pour over ¾ cup boiling water and leave to soak and rehydrate for 20 minutes. Drain porcini and reserve soaking liquid. Coarsely chop the porcini and set aside.
Fill a large saucepan with plenty of boiling water. Add a generous spoonful of salt, then add the orecchiotte and turn the heat down so the water is barely moving – simmer very gently to poach the pasta for 10 minutes or until softened but still holding its shape. Remove orecchiotte with a slotted spoon to drain on a clean tea towel set on a tray.
Lightly oil a large ovenproof dish. Mix the reserved porcini soaking liquid into the tomato pasta sauce. Season to your liking with salt and pepper, then spread the sauce evenly over the base of the dish.
To make the filling, cut the portobello mushrooms into chunks then blitz in a food processor to coarsely chop. Put the ricotta in a bowl, add the porcini, chopped portobello mushrooms, porcini crema, 2 tablespoons EVO and some thyme leaves. Season and stir to combine.
Spoon the filling into the orecchiotte, dividing it evenly, then nestle the pasta into the sauce in the baking dish. Cover the dish with foil and bake at 190°C for 35-40 minutes. Finish with a drizzle of EVO then scatter over the Parmigiano and garnish with thyme.
Match with: Rocca Giovanni Nebbiolo d'Alba
Recipe by Julie Le Clerc
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