Creamy One Pot Mushroom Pasta

 

I wanted to make a one pot no-fuss pasta dish that was rich in umami mushroom flavor and creamy without the heaviness of cream. Look at the unctuous glossy sauce coating every centimeter of glorious pasta surface area and tell me I didn't succeed! Gochujang is once again my secret ingredient for depth of flavor and hint of heat without overpowering the earthiness of the mushrooms. This recipe is much better using half fresh mushrooms for their meatiness, half dried mushrooms for the liquid (brown) gold you get from reconstituting them.

This recipe is pretty straightforward. Besides the instructions below, all I can say is, do not omit the basil in the recipe. The floral notes balance the umami heavy nature of this dish.

I soaked 4oz of assorted dried mushrooms for 30 min in hot water, strained and squeezed them, and saved every drop of that brown savory liquid to add even more mushroom essence to the pot later.

the holy trinity: fresh, dried, liquid. MUSHROOM

Ingredients:

• 1lb pasta that requires 12min or less cook time. I used TJ's rigatoni.
• 1 large yellow onion, chopped
• 2 stocks of celery, chopped
• 4-6 cloves of garlic, minced
• 8oz assorted mushrooms, roughly chopped. (I used 4oz dried and 4oz fresh cremini)
• 3 tbsp gochujang paste
• 1 tbsp double concentrate tomato paste
• 1/2 cup dry white wine (I used sake)
• 1 tbsp light soysauce
• 1/4 tsp ground black pepper
• 1/2 tsp dried oregano
• 2 cups reserved mushroom soaking liquid
• 3 cups stock of choice
• 1 cup of good quality coconut milk, preferably full fat.
• A good handful of basil, thinly sliced
• 2 tsp black vinegar (sub white or rice vinegar)

Instructions:

1. In a pot large enough to hold all the pasta, start by sweating the onions and celery in olive oil over medium-low, cover and stir occasionally until the onions are soft and translucent. 
2. Incorporate the minced garlic and all the mushrooms. Add a pat of butter or more olive oil if things are looking dry.
3. When the mushrooms have reduced and darkened, add the gochujang, tomato paste, white wine and soy sauce. Raise to medium and stir for a couple minutes, until the liquid reduces slightly.
4. Pour in your reserved mushroom stock if you have it, or the 5 cups of stock. 
5. Add black pepper and oregano and bring the liquid up to a roiling boil. It should look like hot mushroomy lava.
6. Once the liquid is boiling, you can add your pasta, don't worry if everything isn't completely submerged, covering the pot with a lid will let steam do a lot of the work.
   (My pasta said 12 min on the package, so I covered and let it cook for 12 minutes, stirring a couple times between. Because it's cooking in liquid that isn't just water, it will take longer than that, so don't worry about mushy pasta.)
7. Check in after the recommended time, testing a piece of pasta for your preferred doneness. When you're almost there, add a cup of coconut milk and stir until the sauce is thick and glossy
8. Turn off your heat to add the basil and vinegar, stirring throughly to incorporate.
9. Serve with shaved parm, or omit if vegan.

Note: I did not need to add any additional salt because of the broth and parm, but you can add some before serving depending on your taste.

I went back for 3rds