Porcini and saffron pasta

Name: Porcini and saffron pasta
Prep time: 20 min
Cook time: 15 min
Total time: 35 min
Yield: 4
Ingredients: Linguine pasta 11.3 oz; Porcini mushrooms (to be cleaned) 10.6 oz; Parmigiano Reggiano PDO cheese 1.8 oz; Garlic 1 clove; Saffron (2 sachets of 0.15 g) 0.01 oz; Parsley to taste; Thyme to taste; Extra virgin olive oil to taste; Fine salt to taste; Black pepper to taste

Difficulty: Easy
Prep time: 20 min
Cook time: 15 min
Serving: 4

PRESENTATION

Porcini and saffron pasta is one of those combinations that sounds richer than it is — fresh porcini cooked trifolati, saffron added directly in the pan, and a final mantecatura with grated cheese that pulls everything into a velvety sauce without a drop of cream. Linguine works beautifully here, giving the sauce somewhere to cling, and the result reads as an elegant autumn dish while staying genuinely fast to put together. Fresh porcini bring an intensity that dried mushrooms rarely match, and saffron added in-pan — rather than steeped separately — holds its flavor and keeps the color vivid through to the plate.

The cooking moves quickly once the mushrooms are in the pan, which makes this a practical choice even when the occasion feels special. A handful of quality ingredients, handled with a little attention, is all the dish asks for. The mantecatura at the end is the step worth slowing down for: drawing the pasta through the pan off the heat, letting the cheese melt into the cooking liquid until the sauce turns glossy and coats every strand. No cream, no shortcuts — just a technique that earns its result.

How to prepare Porcini and saffron pasta

To prepare the porcini pasta, first How to Clean Porcini Mushrooms: remove the earthy part 1, then scrape the base of the stem with the blade of a small knife 2. Gently rub the rest of the stem and the cap with a brush or a slightly damp cloth to remove any remaining dirt 3.

Slice the porcini lengthwise into slices about half a centimeter thick 4 — about 3/16 inch. In a large skillet, infuse the oil with the garlic 5, the thyme and the parsley stems 6.

Add the mushrooms 7, season with salt 8 and pepper. Sauté the mushrooms over medium-high heat for about 5 minutes. Meanwhile, cook the linguine in boiling salted water 9.

After 5 minutes, remove the garlic and the aromatic herbs from the pan 10. Drain the pasta al dente and finish cooking it in the pan 11, deglazing with a ladleful of the cooking water 12.

Meanwhile, pour another small ladle of the cooking water into a small bowl 13 and let it cool slightly, then add the saffron 14 and stir well to dissolve it 15.