Pappardelle alla Boscaiola (Pappardelle Pasta in Wild Mushroom Sauce) Recipe

Pasta with a mushroom sauce known as "boscaiola" (meaning something like "forest-style" or "woodman's style") is one of the most common Italian restaurant dishes, and you will encounter it on menus throughout Italy.

This recipe calls for porcini mushrooms, Boletus edulis, and they are necessary to do it justice. Ideally, you should use fresh porcini, but if you cannot find them you will have to make do by using a mixture of plain fresh mushrooms and dried porcini: purchase cultivated mushrooms and a 20-gram (1-ounce) packet of dried porcini (this will be about 1/2 cup, packed; if you want, you can use more, but don't exaggerate). Steep the dried mushrooms in warm water for 20 minutes, then mince them and add them to the cultivated mushrooms. Carefully strain the steeping liquid, since it may contain sand, and add it to the sauce as well.

Another option, in the absence of fresh porcini, is to use whatever wild mushrooms are available where you live, combining them with some cultured mushrooms if need be and some steeped dried porcini. One last thing: This recipe calls for ​​pappardelle, which are broad (1-inch) strips of pasta. You can, if you want, use fettuccine (1/2-inch strips), tagliatelle, or a hollow form such as penne.