Pasta with Porcini Mushroom and Marsala

This pasta dish is very simple and easy to knock together as long as you have set aside time to soak the porcini mushrooms. It is the perfect creamy pasta for a cold winter night.

Pasta with Porcini Mushroom and Marsala

Serves 4 as an entree

Ingredients:

x4 or 5 Swiss brown mushrooms, sliced

1 handful of porcini mushrooms

1 brown onion, chopped

2 cloves of garlic, crushed

x3 bacon rashers (omit if making for vegetarians) cut into small squares

1 tbls parsley, chopped

1 tsp sage, chopped

1/4 cup dry white wine

3/4 to 1 cup thickened cream (I always add a little more if I think the sauce has evaporated)

1 tbls Marsala (or more to taste)

Salt & Pepper

Olive Oil

Pasta shells or fusilli

Method

Grab the handful of porcini mushrooms and put in a bowl with boiling water (about 800ml) and allow to soak for about 2 hours. Rinse the mushrooms but keep the liquid!

Heat olive oil in a pan and add the chopped onion, garlic and bacon. Let fry until the garlic and onion is cooked and the bacon is starting to get crisp. Add the Swiss brown and porcini mushrooms, stir and season with salt and pepper.

Add the chopped herbs and then add some of the porcini mushroom liquid. Add the wine and then simmer for approximately 25 minutes. Keep adding the porcini mushroom liquid as/if the sauce drys up. Add the cream and Marsala and simmer for a further couple of minutes.

Add the sauce to cooked pasta and serve with chopped parsley and parmesan cheese.