I adapted this recipe for the Pappardelle with Mushrooms, Pine Nuts, and Preserved Lemons from another pasta dish I often serve, Pappardelle with Mushrooms and Garlic.
My neighbor and good friend who also enjoys cooking traded a jar of her homemade preserved lemons for a jar of my homemade Meyer lemon curd recently.
Both were made with lemons from our Meyer lemon trees we planted in large pots on our individual decks shortly after we moved into our homes five years ago.
I must admit her tree has yielded more lemons than mine, but mine is catching up.
Those delicious preserved lemons were the inspiration for this yummy dish!
I had mushrooms on hand and decided to tweak the original recipe by adding toasted pine nuts and finely diced preserved lemons along with some fresh mint to the sauce, which turned out to be a very good idea.
You can substitute another pasta if you like, as well as other varieties of mushrooms.
Note: You will cook the mushrooms in 2 batches to ensure they will brown well.
Here’s the recipe…
Pappardelle with Mushrooms, Pine Nuts, and Preserved Lemons
(adapted from Pappardelle with Porcini and Garlic, from Pasta, Food and Wine Books)
Ingredients
¾ pound pappardelle pasta
4 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
1 pound Cremini (baby portabella) mushrooms, trimmed and sliced
5 to 6 cloves of garlic, crushed
½ cup pine nuts, toasted
½ cup chopped preserved lemon
1 teaspoon Kosher salt
¼ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
¾ cup chicken stock
2 tablespoons butter
2 tablespoons chopped fresh flat leaf parsley
2 tablespoons chopped fresh mint
¼ cup freshly grated Pecorino Romano cheese, plus more for serving
Cook the pasta according to package directions until al dente.
Meanwhile, heat 2 tablespoons of the oil in a large frying pan over moderately high heat.
Add half of the sliced mushrooms, 2 or 3 garlic cloves, ½ teaspoon of salt, and 1/8 teaspoon pepper.
Cook, stirring occasionally, until lightly browned, about 3 to 5 minutes.
Remove the mushrooms, set aside and repeat with the remaining ingredients except the pine nuts and preserved lemon.
When the second batch of mushrooms has browned return all the mushrooms to the pan.
Add all the pine nuts and preserved lemon to the pan. Stir to combine.
Add the chicken stock, butter, parsley and mint to the pan. Simmer for 1 to 2 minutes.
When ready to serve, drain the pasta.
In a large bowl toss the pasta with the mushroom sauce and add the grated Pecorino Romano cheese.
Serve with additional cheese and cracked black pepper.