Categories: entree, meatless, not tried
Ingredients
- 1/2 pound morel mushrooms (or cremini or shitake mushrooms.)
- 1 teaspoon Diamond Crystal kosher salt
- 1/2 pound (227 grams) dry linguine
- 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
- Sea salt flakes like Maldon, to taste
- 1 cup (150 grams) fresh or frozen peas
- 2 tablespoons fresh thyme, chopped
- Zest from 1 lemon
- 1/4 cup heavy cream
- 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
- Freshly ground black pepper to taste
- juice of half a lemon plus more to taste
Directions
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Fill large bowl with cool water and prepare the morels:
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Slice them in half length wise, swish them around in the water for a few seconds to loosen any grit, not too long; you want them to absorb as little water as possible – fish them out, pat them dry and lay them out in a single layer on a dry towel.
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(If you’re substituting creminin or shitakke mushrooms, skip the bowl of water and wipe them down with a damp paper towel instead.
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Then cut them into quarter inch slices.)
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Bring a large pot of water to a rolling boil and add the kosher salt. Add the linguine to the boiling water and give it a stir to keep the strands from sticking.
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Cook until just shy of al dente.
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(The pasta will finish cooking in a hot pan later on.)
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Drain the pasta and set aside.
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Meanwhile, melt the butter over medium high heat in a 12 inch pan.
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When the butter foams, add the morels taking care not to crowd them in the pan.
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If your pan is small, you may need to work in 2 batches.
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Saute the morels for 6 minutes, stirring occasionally.
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Sprinkle with a pinch or 2 of sea salt flakes and cook for another 1 to 2 minutes, until lightly browned, crisp around the edges, but still tender.
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Transfer them to a bowl and set aside.
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Turn the heat down to medium, add the peas to the pan and cook for 1 to 2 minutes (3 to 4 minutes if your peas are frozen), stirring once or twice.
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Return the mushrooms to the pan, stirring the thyme and lemon zest, and cook for 30 to 60 seconds.
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Add the boiled pasta and mix gently with the morels and peas, scraping up any brown bits from the bottom of the pan.
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Pour in the heavy cream, swirl it around the pan, and remove the pan from the heat.
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Add the olive oil, some sea salt flakes and freshly ground black pepper, to taste, and add lemon juice, and mix gently.
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Taste and add more lemon juice, if necessary.
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Serve immediately