PASTA WITH CREAMY MUSHROOM SAUCE
One of the most endearing traits of the Italian people is their incredible willingness to make the effort to understand what you are saying in your broken Italian and then give you a caress by saying that you speak so well! I have never ever been made fun of because of my Italian in all these years I have spent in this country and they are almost 30 now if I count the years I spent going back and forth to visit a former boyfriend. (Horrid thought this, how can they be so many with me being so young??!!) Nowadays I speak pretty well and can easily make myself understood even though I am sure I make lots of mistakes without even noticing them but am I ever corrected or ridiculed by anyone outside my close family? Never.
And what does this have to do with today’s recipe? A lot and I will tell you why. When I still had that former boyfriend who only wanted to speak English to me so that he could practice it, I spent a year in Florence working. I worked as a personal assistant and spoke English there as well so I would never really have practised my Italian, not that it was much to practice as I never have studied the language but still, one picks up words and phrases here and there, if it hadn’t been for Rita, the housekeeper. She lived in a flat in the basement of the house with her husband and her young son and she didn’t speak a word of English which meant that I had to make myself understood in Italian. I wish I knew where she is now because I would like to thank her for being the reason to why I started to speak Italian, the patience she showed was immense and her kindness had no ends, I spent so many evenings down in her flat, talking and eating. Her dream was to become a designer and we had a deal that she would make my wedding dress but when I married, we were no more in touch so I made it myself.
She did give me recipes though and today’s recipe is one of them, I remember how she emphasized the importance of using white pepper and not black as it was vital to the final flavour. This is one of the dinner or lunch savers, few ingredients and really quick to make if you use a food processor. You can use cremini mushrooms or Portobello ones or just common button mushrooms, the choice is yours!
PASTA WITH CREAMY MUSHROOM SAUCE
2 servings
freshly cooked pasta
200 g/7 oz mushrooms, cremini, Portobello or common button mushrooms
1/2 clove of garlic
a small bunch of parsley
100 ml/0,42 cup fresh cream
salt
white pepper
butter or extra-virgin olive oil
- Put mushrooms, garlic and parsley in a food processor and run for a minute or two until everything is chopped into small pieces. Or chop by hand, it’s pretty quick that way too.
- Cook the mushrooms in butter or olive oil over medium heat until the liquid has evaporated.
- Add cream, pepper and salt and continue to cook until creamy, then add to the freshly cooked and drained pasta.
- Serve as it is or with freshly grated parmesan.
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Oh, you are so cute! And I have to say this is the way I learned to speak Italian, too and enjoyed every minute of it! I’d go to the market in the morning and the bread lady and the cheese guys would teach me a new word!
This is just the pasta dish for me! I love mushrooms and this looks so delicious! I must make it for husband this week! Beautiul! And gorgeous photos again (and again).
In relation to your Italian conversational skills…that must be true of most Latin based cultures..a Spanish boy told me the other day how well I spoke Spanish..which was interesting, as the broken Spanish I speak is South American, rather than true “Spanish”…So romantic…
Tooth picks or photoshop on the mushrooms?…Mike says fishing wire…
Vilken kul och enkel maträtt!!
Den måste jag prova
kram
helena
vartlivinorr.blogspot.com
That is a beautiful and touching story Ilva!
Beautiful!
Truly an endearing story. I relate, as I had a similar language couch in the housekeeper of the people my husband worked for when we lived in Rome, Oliva. Oliva lived and worked with her employers for 27 years by then (and 27 was how old I was at that time). She appeared “ancient” to me then, but her gentle heart, willingness to cook fom me at the drop of the hat, and her stern look, meaning her focus and seriousness, when she was teaching me new vocabulary, make my heart melt now – all 23 years later. Ilva, thank you for invoking this memory. And the pasta dish you feature – I’m making it tomorrow.
http://majology.mymaj.net
A truly lovely story Ilva, and a super recipe..
Lovely post – it’s very true about being caressed as you mangle a mother tongue, in Italy I have always been helped along with such kindess (never in France where I was once laughed at – by my very French friend at that!)
I love the tower of mushrooms photo, and I so wish I knew the difference between wild edible ones, and poisonous ones, so I could pick my own.
I also want to solicite a favour too, as I have a little questionaire on the blog and I’d like to ask if you could have a look and cast a vote, as it involves pie (foody not mathy) and any one else too!
cheers, Roo x
Hello! This is my first visit to your blog. I love you story, the pasta sounds delicious and your photos are amazing!!!!
mmm…delicious! this is the kind of pasta i love!
both times i’ve been to italy everyone was indeed very friendly and helpful
Ilva…
I saw this post today during my lunch break…. made it for our dinner tonight
here is what my husband had to say: “wow, this pasta is great! the best tasting pasta dish you’ve made in a while… sort of a mushroom Alfredo, I think”….
thanks, Ilva – simple and tasty, perfect for a busy Monday!
What an amazingly simple preparation–I will look forward to trying this…and your photographs are simply stunning. Thank you.
What a fun story. I never imagine you not being completely confident in your Italian. (To tell the truth, I think I forget that you are Swedish!)
The photos are stunning, and the recipe also sounds fantastic. Everything about this is just perfect.
Wow. What lovely, lovely photos. I love how the pasta and sauce are so thick that the fork can stand up straight in the dish! What a lovely story. I love learning other languages. I also like when others correct me, but not everyone does. Anyway, I’m going to bookmark this scrumptious recipe!
Ilva, I cannot possible believe that you make any mistakes whatsoever in Italian after all those years!!!
The pasta dish looks lovely – so sad that my K. isn’t fond of pasta dishes (nor pizza, for that matter).
Oh, such a simple and nice recipe! Ill definately try this one. Perfect when you want something quick on the table without a lot of fuss! Thankyou!
mmm, snabbaste godadste lunchen! Väntar ff på smaklökarna att bli friska igen och jösses… jag kommer säkert gå upp ännu fler kilo av allt smakrikt och ljuvligt jag kommer proppa i mig!
oups, jag glömde ju nämna dina bilder – men jag har verkligen inget ordförråd längre. Känner mig som en Durecell-kanin
Lovely!! These “simple” sauces make every ingredient sparkle, so as yr pictures!
Ilva that looks amazing. And the way you stacked those mushrooms looks very familiar! I love it!
Another lovely, simple and elegant dish!
Many thanks!
;o)
- Lee
I want one plate of this please! Looks succulent
Thank you, but you have to make it yourself, it is sooo simple!
Thank You, Lee!
Thank you! It looks familiar? There’s nothing new under the sun is it?
big hug!
du är så HIMLA gullig du!
Thanks, I hope you will like it!°
Oh yes, I do but then I can blame it on not having studying italian, can’t I? But then Italians too make msitakes, it is a difficult language!
Thank you, I’m happy you like what I do. When they are nice and don’t correct me, I feel as if they are making fun of me, especially when I make funny mistakes and they don’t even smile. Maybe they have given up?
Thanks Kalyn, ogh yes, I am an italianized Swede!
no, Thank YOU!
Oh how happy this makes me, thank you for coming back to tell me!
They are, arent they!
Thank you so much!
Roo, I did click over before but didn’t find the questionnaire, I’ll try again now!
xox
Gosia, yes, I think this is so typical for Italy, it is such a strange country somehow, both easy and difficult! But always filld with personal warmth, well almost always!
Thanks Sonny!
¨
Tackar!
see, the Mediterraneans! I used a wooden skewer!
Jamie, thank you! I think it is the best way to learn a lnaguage even though it can be a bit frustrating at times!
That’s funny! I went to Milan once and although everyone was friendly (I was completely lost in the suburbs) they definitely laughed at me for my pathetic attempts at Italian! Fortunately I ran into plenty of people who could get by in Spanish or French instead.
For me this is beautiful , simple ingredients ending in a delicious unfussing comforting meal
For me this is beautiful , simple ingredients ending in a delicious unfussing comforting meal
Great Photography. Is that a plastic spoon or is it ceramica?
It’s plastic!
i don’t have cream or time to run out to the store, could i substatute with 35% whipping cream?
of course you can, I always use that! unless it is sweetened obviously, and not whipped already
and that was me!
wonderful pasta
Tried making this, it is so easy and tastes amazing! I’ve never cooked before so this was a great recipe for a first timer! Thanks for posting this!
[...] 1. Simple [...]
“100 ml/0,42 cup fresh cream”
“0,42″ ??? Why not just say 1/2 cup?
Yes, that’s slightly more, but so what? – change the mushrooms to 8oz (a more common package quantity anyway) and it all works out fine.
guess why? Because I am nice and convert my recipes for you who don’t use and know milliliters and grams (i.e. the metric system), that’s why. And you are completely free to do what you want when you cook my recipes, I only give you the exact measures I use.