Saturday, February 19, 2011

Mushroom Marsala Pasta with Artichokes

Sometimes, I just want to make pasta and smother it with cheesy cream sauce.  I *love* mushrooms, which I know qualifies me as a total freak in the eyes of some people.  My husband originally hated them, but has been actively trying to get over his aversion for a while.  He actively likes mushrooms if they're thinly sliced or finely chopped.  It's the "mushrooms as meat substitute" (i.e. portobello) that grosses him out.  So, when I saw this recipe for Mushroom Marsala on Smitten Kitchen, I knew I had to try it. 



This was a good, hearty meal.  As usual, I did the pasta math and saw that 1/2 lb pasta was supposed to be enough for two servings.  But as I always do, I looked in the pot and thought, "that's not nearly enough pasta!" and I added more.  So, I ended up with way more pasta than I needed.  I don't think I'll ever learn. 

Mushroom Marsala with Artichokes
From Smitten Kitchen, with a few alterations (which was, in turn, adapted from Giada de Laurentis)

 Serves 2.

Ingredients:
1.5 Tbsp olive oil
1/2 onion, finely chopped (I used a sweet onion because that's all I had, and it worked fine).
1/2 pound mushrooms, trimmed, cleaned and chopped into small bits (I used a 10 oz box of creminis, which I know is more than 1/2 lb.  But, that was the weight before I stemmed them and hey, mushrooms are awesome).
Salt to taste (and some for the pasta water)
1/2 cup dry Marsala wine
1/2 pound pasta.  (The original recipe recommended ditalini, which at Wegman's was also labeled "soup pasta" and was very tiny.  Smitten Kitchen used snail-shaped or chiocciole.  I couldn't find this, so I used campanelle, which is bell shaped). 
1 14 oz can artichoke hearts, quartered (don't use marinated artichokes)
a little less than 1/2 cup grated Parmesan (technically 3/8, but who has a 3/8 cup measure?)
1/4 cup cream
1/4 cup chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
 black pepper to taste

Method:
1) Bring a large pot of water to a boil over high heat. Add a little salt. Add the pasta and cook until tender, stirring occasionally, about 8 to 10 minutes. (Or whatever it says on the box).  When the pasta is cooked, drain it, rinse it, and set it aside. 
2) While pasta is cooking, heat olive oil in a large, heavy skillet over medium-high heat. Add the onions and cook for one minute.
3) Add the mushrooms and one teaspoon of the salt. Sauté, stirring occasionally, until all the moisture has evaporated and the mushrooms have cooked down, about 10 minutes (eyeball this, it took me a little longer).
4) Add the marsala and continue cooking until the wine has nearly evaporated, about 5 minutes.
5) Add pasta to the pot with the mushrooms, marsala and onions.  Mix well and then  add the artichoke hearts, parmesan, and cream.
6) Mix well, and cook until the artichokes are heated through, about 5 minutes.
7) Stir in the parsley and pepper.

Then serve.

4 comments:

Michelle Clay said...

OOooooh, nom!

I invented a quick version of tuna noodle casserole last night that turned out well. The funny part: you could totally leave out the tuna and still have a good meal. :D

Scienter said...

That's my kind of tuna casserole: no tuna!

Eric said...

Love your writing style Dori :) Kristin and I are following with great interest! :)

Scienter said...

Yay! I'm glad you guys like it. Feel free to share it with your friends. ;)

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