Linguine with Fresh Porcini

I thought I'd died and gone to heaven when I took my first bite of linguine with fresh porcini when we were in Rome a couple of years ago. What got my attention besides my favorite mushrooms was this incredible spicy oil. Seriously delicious!

I had been meaning to try to recreate this dish at home but was afraid of ruining the memory of one of the best pastas I'd ever eaten. When I saw these beauties at Monterey Market the other day - I knew the time had come.

First - a word of warning on this recipe. I completely made it up and I'm one of those "a little of this, a little of that" kinds of cooks, so I didn't measure anything while I making it. But - don't worry.  My measurements may not be very precise, but there's not a whole that can go wrong with this pasta - especially if we're talking porcinis!

Linguine with Fresh Porcini - Serves 4
1 pound linguine
Some gorgeous fresh porcini - as many as you dare to purchase, trimmed and sliced
3 or 4 super generous handfuls of shitake mushrooms, trimmed and sliced
a nice hunk of parmigiano reggiano, finely grated
4-5 large cloves of garlic, thinly sliced
olio piccante (spicy oil - see recipe below)
salt and freshly ground pepper to taste

1. Bring a large pot of water to boil and salt generously (about 2 tablespoons)
2. Drop the pasta into the boiling water and cook 1 minute less than the time suggested on the box
3. While the pasta cooks, heat a large saute pan over medium-high heat. When hot, add 4-5ish tablespoons of the spicy oil. Once the oil is hot, add the garlic and cook for about 1 minute - until nice and golden. Add the mushrooms and saute, stirring occasionally. Season with salt and freshly grated pepper to taste. Keep warm at a low heat if mushrooms finish cooking before the pasta is done.
4. Just before the pasta is done ladel about 1/2 a cup of the pasta water into the pan with the mushrooms, turn the heat back up and let the liquid reduce down by half. (The starch from the pasta water will help create a velvety sauce).
5. Drain the pasta and immediately add it to the mushrooms. Toss well to incorporate. Serve immediately with grated cheese, drizzling additional spicy oil as desired.

  
Olio Piccante (spicy  oil). This recipe is from Mario Batali Italian Grill
makes about 1 1/2 cups
2 cups extra-virgin olive oil
5 jalapeño peppers, coarsely chopped
1/2 cup hot red pepper flakes
1 tablespoon sweet paprika
In a small saucepan, combine the oil, jalapeños, pepper flakes, and paprika and bring just to a simmer over medium heat.
Pour the oil (and flavorings) into a heatproof boowl and let cool, then cover and refrigerate for t least 8 hours, or overnight.
Strain the oil and keep refrigerated  until ready to use. It can be stored in the refrigerator in a tightly sealed jar for up to 10 days - no longer.