Authentic pasta alla Boscaiola (with sausage and mushrooms)
Pasta alla boscaiola or woodman's pasta is a hearty and flavourful easy to make classic Italian pasta recipe originally based on wild mushrooms foraged in the Italian woods. However it's just as delicious if you use other types of fresh or dried mushrooms.
Servings: 4
Calories: 854kcal
Ingredients
- 12 oz campanelle pasta or tagliatelle, penne etc
- 1 lb mushrooms usually 40g (1.5oz) porcini, fresh or dried plus champignons, cremini, pioppini etc
- 3.5 oz pancetta cut into small cubes
- 12 oz Italian pork sausage (salsiccia) meat removed from casing and chopped
- 1 onion peeled and finely chopped
- ½ glass white wine (2.5floz)
- 14 oz tomato passata or canned peeled tomatoes or both.
- 1.5 oz Parmigiano cheese grated for serving
- salt for pasta and to taste
- black pepper to taste
- 3-4 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
- 1 handful fresh parsley chopped
Instructions
- Put a large pan of water on to boil for the pasta. Add salt once it starts to boil and bring to the boil again.
- Heat a little olive oil in a frying pan or skillet and add the pancetta. Cook until it starts to brown. Add the chopped sausage meat and brown it for a few minutes too
- Remove the meat from the skillet and add olive oil and chopped onion. When the onion has started to soften add the fresh mushrooms.
- Cook the mushrooms until they start to soften and then add the frozen or dried porcini. Mix together and cook for a minute or two more.
- Add back the meats and pour in the white wine. When the alcohol has evaporated, add the tomatoes/tomato passata. Season, mix and simmer on a low heat for about 30 minutes. Add some fresh parsley.
- Meanwhile, cook the pasta al dente according to the instructions on the packet, drain the pasta and add it to the pan with the sauce.
- Mix everything together in the pan.
- Serve immediately with more chopped parsley and extra grated Parmigiano as required.
Notes
You can also add peas to this recipe. Add them to the sauce 5 minutes before it is ready if they are frozen. If they are fresh add them with the tomato passata.
If you use dried porcini don't forget to soak them in some warm water for 20-30 minutes before making the sauce. Drain them well, but don't throw the water away. You can add it to the sauce for a more intense porcini flavour!
Italian style pork sausages (salsiccia) are traditional in this recipe. But you can also use plain pork sausages with the addition of rosemary or fennel seeds to the sausage to mimic the flavour
Nutrition
Calories: 854kcal | Carbohydrates: 79g | Protein: 35g | Fat: 45g | Saturated Fat: 13g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 6g | Monounsaturated Fat: 22g | Trans Fat: 0.2g | Cholesterol: 77mg | Sodium: 848mg | Potassium: 1275mg | Fiber: 6g | Sugar: 11g | Vitamin A: 739IU | Vitamin C: 17mg | Calcium: 181mg | Iron: 5mg