Mushroom Pasta

I love this recipe from Chez Panisse Vegetables. It calls for chanterelles - but I've made it with all kinds of mushrooms and it's always a winner. To make it a little lighter, I substitute half and half instead of heavy cream - but go for the cream if you like!

CHANTERELLE PASTA
Serves 4 to 6

Ingredients
1 ounce dried porcini
3/4 cup heavy cream (or half & half)
1 1/2 cups chicken stock
1 pound chanterelles (or other favorite mushrooms)
3-4 sprigs of thyme
2 cloves garlic
1 leek
4 tablespoons unsalted butter
Salt and freshly ground pepper
1 pound fresh linguine
1/4 cup chopped pasley
Freshly grated parmigiano-reggiano
toasted bread crumbs (optional)

Put the dried porcini in a saucepan with the cream and chicken stock and heat gently for 30 minutes or so to infuse the mixture with mushroom flavor. Remove the porcini from the cream with a slotted spoon or strainer, and strain the cream through a fine mesh sieve to remove any sand.
Clean and slice the mushrooms. Chop the thyme leaves and peel and chop the garlic. Clean and chop the leek and saute in 1 tablespoon of the butter until soft and translucent. Remove from the pan and set aside.

Put a pot of water on for the pasta, bring to a boil and salt generously.
While the pasta water comes to a boil, saute the mushrooms in the rest of the butter, season with salt and pepper and add the chopped thyme. When nearly cooked through, add the garlic and cook 1 minute more.

Pour the strained cream and stock over the mushrooms, add the leeks, and simmer gently while the pasta is cooking. When the noodles are done, add them to the mushrooms. Taste and correct the seasoning. Serve garnished with parmesan, parsley, and if you like, a scattering of toasted bread crumbs.