MUSHROOM PASTA

Mushroom Pasta image

Provided by Food Network

Time 30m

Yield 6 servings

Number Of Ingredients 9

Kosher salt
1 pound dried spaghetti
1 pound fresh mushrooms (we used oyster mushrooms; see Cook's Note)
3 tablespoons olive oil
2 onions, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
4 sprigs thyme or 1 tablespoon fresh thyme leaves
1 stick (8 tablespoons) unsalted butter
3 ounces freshly grated Parmesan cheese

Steps:

Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. When the water is boiling vigorously, add the pasta and cook for approximately 12 minutes, stirring and tossing the pasta in the boiling water every few minutes to prevent it from clumping or sticking. Reserve some of the pasta cooking water, then drain the pasta in a colander and set aside.
To make the mushroom sauce, place a large saute pan over high heat. While the pan heats, roughly chop the mushrooms, then add them along with the olive oil to the hot pan. Toss well and saute the mushrooms for about 5 minutes over high heat, then turn down to medium heat as the mushrooms begin to develop some color and the water from them evaporates. Remove the mushrooms from the pan.
Add the onions to the pan and toss well. Saute another 10 minutes until the onions are golden brown. Add the mushrooms back to the pan and grate in the garlic with a rasp grater. Add the thyme and butter and cook, stirring the contents of the pan, until the butter is fully melted. Taste the mushrooms at this point and add salt as necessary. Remove the thyme sprigs if necessary.
Add the cooked pasta to the saute pan and turn and toss in the pan as much as you can to coat completely and reheat the pasta. Loosen the pasta a bit with some of the reserved starchy pasta cooking liquid (or some warm tap water). Once the pasta is piping hot and well coated, serve and finish with a hearty topping of freshly grated Parmesan cheese.