Pasta With Mushroom-Thyme Cream Sauce

Categories: Main Dish, Pasta Sauce, Vegetarian

Ingredients

• 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
• 1 lb sliced white mushroom
• salt
• ground black pepper
• 1/2 ounce dried porcini mushrooms (rehydrated with 1 cup liquid reserved)
• 1 1/2 cups half-and-half
• 1 tablespoon soy sauce
• 1 tablespoon fresh thyme
• 1 tablespoon cornstarch
• 1 shallot, minced
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• 1/4 cup dry sherry
• 1 lb linguine or 1 lb spaghetti

Directions

1. **Rehydrate the porcini mushrooms while the mushrooms brown.

2. Bring large pot of water to boil (4 quarts water).

3. Meanwhile, melt butter in medium saucepan over med-high heat; add in white mushrooms and ¼ teaspoon salt; cook until browned, about 8 minutes.

4. While mushrooms cook, pureed rehydrateed porcini mushrooms, 1 cup reserved porcini liquid, half-and-half, soy sauce, thyme, and cornstarch in a blender until smooth, about 30 seconds.

5. Stir shallot into saucepan with mushrooms; cook until softened, about 2 minutes.

6. Stir in garlic; cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds.

7. Stir in sherry and cook until nearly evaporated, about 1 minute.

8. Briefly re-blend porcini mixture to dissolve cornstarch; then stir into saucepan and simmer until thickened, about 2 mintues.

9. Remove sauce from heat and season with salt and pepper to taste.

10. Add pasta and 1 tablespoon salt to boiling water; cook, stirring often, until al dente.

11. Reserve ½ cup pasta water, then drain pasta and return to pot.

12. Stir sauce into pasta and add reserved pasta water as needed to loosen sauce; serve immediately.

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