pasta al coccio

Directions

1. Start by cleaning the porcini mushrooms if they are fresh, by eliminating the soil-covered end of the stalk. Separate the stalks from the caps and eliminate any bruised parts. Then delicately pass a brush over all the parts needing to be cleaned. Finally, gently wipe the entire mushroom with a cloth or with the absorbent kitchen paper. Then chop the mushrooms.
2. If you are using dried porcini mushrooms put them in a bowl with warm water and allow them to plump up for about 20-30 minutes. Drain the mushrooms and chopped them. In the coccio pot (earthenware pot) heat the extra virgine olive oil over medium heat, add the garlic and onion. When they begin to brown, add the bacon and mushrooms. Add white wine and let it cook for at least 5 minutes, until the mushrooms release their water. Then add the peas and cook under low heat, stirring occasionally. While the mushroom sauce is setting, boil a pot of water and add pasta. Cook the pasta for half the cooking time on the package. Drain the pasta reserving the water (you will use it to finish cooking the pasta). Toss the pasta in the pot with mushrooms sauce. Mix the cream into the sauce and keep on cooking until pasta is al dente, adding little by little the pasta-water. Before serving, season with truffle olive oil and grated parmigiano cheese. Tips: if you don’t have a earthenware pot, you can use a stainless – steel or cast iron sauté pan.