Mushroom Peppercorn Cream Pasta

Mushroom peppercorn cream sauce on rotini

About a gazillion years ago, WAY before brewpubs were a thing, we went to one in Greenwich Village on the edge of SoHo in the vicinity of Thompson and Broome Streets (in case anyone out there remembers the place). For the life of me I can't remember the name and neither can John. I can't even remember if we liked the beer, but what I do remember is the dinner I had -- which was absolutely delicious and like nothing I'd ever tasted.

Imagine homemade fettuccine with a wild mushroom cream sauce infused with just a touch of bourbon with cooked tri-color peppercorns and Bulgar wheat. I'm not sure I even knew what Bulgar wheat was back in 1993ish.

Soon after we went to this place that shall remain nameless, I made the recipe at home -- including making the pasta by hand. Of course, the 2 adults in the house loved it but the 4 children were not thrilled. Did I write down what I did? Nope!

Now that the nest is empty, with fond memories of this dish in the recesses of my mind, I set out to replicate it a few months back. I was a tad impatient and not finding the Bulgar readily available, I substituted tri-color quinoa, then because I am on a mission to make the carbs I eat more worthwhile, I used rotini made from lentil and chick pea flour.

Barilla makes these single ingredient pastas in 8.8 oz. boxes, the lentil variety is reddish in color and the chickpea one looks like any other pasta. While a bit pricey, they are worth it as both are delicious and stay firm. They don't have that slimy or gritty texture of other gluten-free pastas. Further, they are a great source of protein and are quite filling so that 8.8 oz. box goes a long way.

THE RECIPE:

1 lb pasta (fettuccine or something bite-sized that will hold the sauce)

1 onion cut into a 1/2' dice

2-3 cloves garlic sliced

4T butter

2T olive oil

Salt / pepper to taste

1/2 C quinoa or Bulgar wheat

3T tri-color peppercorns

1-2C chicken or vegetable broth

6-8 cups of a variety of mushrooms (I used shiitake, white button, and oysters, but any mix will do)

1/4 C bourbon or sherry

! -2 C heavy cream

Add the olive oil and butter to a large skillet and heat. Add the onions and garlic and a pinch of salt. Cover and allow to caramelize.

Pour the quinoa and peppercorns into the skillet and cover and stir occasionally to let quinoa toast, but not burn.

Add the shiitakes and cover allowing them to cook to a nice deep golden color

Add the other mushrooms and about a cup of broth.

Allow to simmer to cook the mushrooms and reduce a bit. If it starts to get sticky, add some more broth.

Once the mushrooms are all cooked, add the bourbon or sherry (I used sherry) and increase the heat to allow the alcohol to evaporate off.

All of the above should take about an hour.

While the pasta is boiling, add a cup of heavy cream and allow it to simmer and thicken a bit.

When the pasta is cooked, drain it and add it to the skillet and toss to mix.

You can add either broth or heavy cream here if feels like the pasta isn't all well coated. (this depends on the type of pasta you use)

Mushroom peppercorn pasta

This can be served with shaved Parmesan but honestly, it doesn't need it.