Pasta ai frutti di bosco

When hunger-induced improvisation in the kitchen combines with delicious ingredients, it is often a hit or miss. But this time, I whipped up a wild mushroom pasta that was *SO GOOD* I had to immediately write down how I made it, otherwise I will never be able to reproduce the "experiment". :D

Last fall, I met up with a few friends who are experienced mushroom pickers. We took a day trip to the Asserbo Plantage forest in Northern Zealand (approx. 1 hour drive from Copenhagen) with the goal of scoring some tasty "fruits of the forest" on a sunny, late September day. I have always liked the idea of foraging your own fruit, but never felt comfortable enough to just pick up a book and do it myself. My friends, on the other hand, have been avid mushroomers since they were kids, and for them this activity has remained a family tradition.

Our first stop was, actually, in Hareskov, a popular forest for picking mushrooms, but by the time we got there (10 AM), the forest was emptied by early bird mushroomers. Better luck next time. The second stop was Asserbo. This giant, fairy tale-like, forest seemed endless, and so far away from any human habitat that you could feel the wilderness with all your senses. Tall pine trees reached to the sky, sun rays shone through the branches that illuminated the vibrant, green forest floor, which was completely covered with a soft, cushiony moss layer that gave off that pungent petrichor scent.

Tired mushroomers after a day at Asserbo Plantage

We were so lucky and excited to find a good variety of mushroom species, of which some were truly enormous. Giant parasol mushrooms (Macrolepiota procera, upper left), few chunky Karl Johan mushrooms (Boletus edulis), tons of other Boletes (Imleria badia, Suillellus Iuridus, Neoboletus luridiformis), Russulas (R. vesca, R. decolorans, R. xerampelina), and false chantarelles (Hygrophoropsis aurantiaca).

The loot.

For the recipe below, I used Russula mushrooms. Keep in mind that:

Russulas have to be peeled and boiled for at least 15 minutes before consumption, otherwise they are inedible!!!

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Ingredients

1 cup wild mushrooms (I used peeled & frozen Russulas)

~6 broken lasagne sheets

1 cup heavy cream

1/2 cup grated parmesan cheese

2-3 cloves garlic

1 Tbsp butter

1 tsp salt

1 tsp roasted pine nuts

1/2 tsp dry oregano

1/2 tsp dry sage

1/2 tsp freshly ground black pepper

1 pinch freshly chopped parsley to garnish

Instructions

To prepare mushrooms, you need to rinse them thoroughly under cold, running water with the gills facing down. Peel the thin membrane-like skin off, and cut into smaller chunks. After this step, you can either proceed to the next step, and boil the mushrooms, or freeze them in an airtight container if you want to use them later.

Boil prepped mushrooms in well-salted water for 15 min. Drain in a colander, and let them dry as much as possible while preparing the other ingredients (alternatively, squeeze a bit of the water out using a spoon). Break dry lasagne sheets into ~5 cm wide chunks, and boil in salted water until al dente.

For the sauce, melt butter in a pan, chop garlic cloves finely, and heat on medium-high heat until fragrant. Add in oregano, sage, salt, and pepper and simmer for an additional 1 min. Add mushrooms, and fry until all is well combined, and any moisture has evaporated, for about 5 min on medium heat. Finally, mix in the heavy cream & parmesan cheese, and simmer until the sauce starts to thicken. Add in cooked pasta, stir well and adjust taste with salt & pepper. You can add in a bit of pasta water if there isn't much sauce. Sprinkle the dish with some pine nuts and the wild mushroom pasta is ready to serve.

Buon appetito! :)