Pappardelle with Mushrooms and Pangrattato
Make the most of mushroom season with this creamy pasta from John Torode and Lisa Faulkner, finished with a delightfully crunchy golden breadcrumb topping.
Introduction
Pangrattato means ‘grated bread’ in Italian. The breadcrumbs are fried or toasted and flavoured with herbs and sometimes garlic too. In Italy it was once used as a substitute for Parmesan, which some people could not afford.
Ingredients
| olive oil, for cooking | |
| 400g | fresh pappardelle |
| 2 | shallots, diced |
| knob of | butter |
| About 200g | mixed mushrooms (such as chanterelles, pieds de mouton, pieds bleus and ceps) or just button mushrooms |
| 200ml | simmering chicken stock |
| 4 tbsp | crème fraîche |
| 50ml | double cream |
| sea salt and freshly ground black pepper | |
| For the pangrattato: | |
|---|---|
| 25g | fresh breadcrumbs |
| 25g | panko breadcrumbs |
| 100g | Parmesan, grated, plus extra to serve |
| Handful of | chopped parsley, or any herbs you have |
Method
Bring 2 litres of water to the boil in a pan with a teaspoon of salt and a little bit of olive oil added and cook the pasta for 5–7 minutes until just cooked. Drain, reserving some of the cooking water. try not to overcook, as it will cook a little more in the sauce.
While the pasta is cooking, heat a little olive oil in a pan and quickly fry the shallots and garlic until just softened. remove from the pan and put to one side.
For the pangrattato, in the same frying pan add 1–2 tablespoons of olive oil and toast the fresh and panko breadcrumbs by tossing them around in the oil. remove from the pan, stir in the Parmesan and parsley and set to one side.
Return the shallots and garlic to the pan, reduce the heat and add the knob of butter. Fry them slowly, and season with pepper and a little salt. Add a little water from the pasta if you like and they will cook a little faster. tear the mushrooms apart (don’t slice them), add them to the pan and do not stir; let them sear on one side, then turn them over. Add a little salt and take them out when they just colour.
Tip the drained pasta into the mushroom pan with some of the pasta cooking water. Toss around in the pan by lifting the pan up and tossing everything forwards, cooking for 3–4 minutes. Add the stock, crème fraîche and double cream and gently stir in.
Place the pasta in bowls and top with the pangrattato, extra grated Parmesan and black pepper. Sprinkle with parsley to finish.
Tips: This is just as delicious with flat mushrooms, button mushrooms or chestnut mushrooms. Don’t feel you have to go wild, everyday mushrooms work just as well. A good amount of pepper, lots in fact, is the secret.
Keep any leftover pappardelle with mushrooms in the fridge and reheat with a little bit of stock or cream.
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