MUSHROOM TOASTIES - CROSTINI AI FUNGHI

Last weekend, I traipsed through San Francisco's Ferry Building Marketplace.  Once the terminus for traffic in and out of the Bay, the space has morphed into a high-end food hub.  Speciality shops -- bread-bakers, salami-makers and cheeses-mongers -- line the interior.

A line of eager mouths snaked in front of Acme Bread, where workers pulled flour-dusted loaves from a brick oven. At Boccolone, diners noshed on house-cured salumi and homemade Italian sausages.

Evoking Europe's covered markets, the Ferry Building touts California's local vitals. I can't afford most food on sale here. I like to browse, though.  One of my favorite spots is a stall where I've never shopped: Far West Fungi.

Far West Fungi

Specializing in mushrooms, Far West serves edible fungus from across California -- including both farm-raised and forest-foraged varietals.  Pink oyster mushrooms, the ruby hue of a grapefruit, beckon to prospective foodies.

Perusing the porcini and prune-wrinkled morels, I started concocting mushroomy meals in my head. Risotto? Lasagna? Veggie ragù?  In a rush, I went for a quick dish: mushroom crostini.  Toasted bread is crowned in pan-crisped mushrooms, lemony parsley and a hint of cream.  I grabbed a crusty baguette at Acme Bread and headed home.

 

Far West Fungi

 INGREDIENTS:

• 12 oz - 1 lb of mixed mushrooms (crimini, button, Shitake, portobella, etc), sliced
• 1 loaf crusty bread (baguette or Italian), sliced thick
• A bunch of flat-leaf parsley
• 2 tablespoons fresh cream or half-and-half
• 4-5 tablespoons fresh grated parmigiano
• 4-6 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
• Black pepper, to taste.

www.thefreshloaf.com

Slice the rustic Italian loaf or baguette into 1" - 1.5" slices.  Toast the bread on a baking sheet in the oven until hard.  Be sure not to over toast.  Your slices should feel like toast but not yet be golden-brown.  Set aside the bread  and let cool at room temperature.

Meanwhile, wash and clean the mushrooms, scrubbing off any soil that clings to the 'shrooms. Coarsely slice the mushrooms. Some slices can be thin like the mushrooms you see on pizzas and some can be chunkier.  When the mushrooms are cut rough-chop a bunch of flat-leaf parsley. You'll need about 2 tablespoons of chopped parsley.

Image from: Delightful Delicacies

Heat the olive oil over medium heat in a large skillet.  Cooking in batches, saute the mushrooms until they've begun to brown. You don't want slimy mushrooms. To avoid soggy 'shrooms, cook them in hot oil and only just cover the surface of the skillet.  Cooking the mushrooms all at once will cause them to release water -- they won't brown and they will turn mushy.  Smaller batches, on the other hand, will caramelize and sizzle.

Cook 2-3 minutes on each side, stirring only occasionally.  Once browned, remove the batch of mushrooms to a separate plate and continue pan-frying the remaining fungus. When all of the mushrooms have been browned, return them to the skillet.

Heating over medium-low, toss in the chopped parsley. Pepper to taste and mix for 1 minute. Because we're using salty parmigiano, you won't need to add salt now. While the mushrooms and parsley re-heat, spoon in the grated parmigiano. Stir the skillet vigorously until the cheese starts to melt and turn gooey.

Photo from Italian blog: http://focacciaalrosmarinoit.blogspot.com/

Lastly, pour in the heavy cream one tablespoon at a time. Toss the pan to make sure the cheese, parsley and cream evenly coat all the mushroom mixture.  Generously dress each slice of toast with the cheesy mushroom mix. Serve warm.

PUMPKIN PASTA

Stewed or fresh, tomatoes are the base of many Italian meals.  When you travel through Italy, you'll quickly spot paler plates of pasta.  Sicilians toss spaghetti with fresh sardines, pine nuts and raisins.  Calabria's cooks squeeze a sauce from wild fennel and local chilis. In the north, ravioli swim in cream and bitter radicchio.  Tomatoes are just one condimento, among many, for pasta. 

Fresh tortellacci served with radicchio, parmesan and cream. Photo.

In Emilia-Romagna's kitchens, sage and butter often crown the region's yolk-yellow noodles. A few years ago, I lived in Bologna -- home to  leftist politics, Europe's oldest university and the country's best fresh pasta.  My friend Lucio and I grabbed a quick bite one night at Osteria del Montesino, a Sardinian eatery filled with broke students and anarchists mellowed by cheap wine.  

Osteria del Montesino, Bologna; Via del Pratello 74. Photo.

Nicknamed "la Rossa" (the Red), Bologna is the proud birthplace of Italy's communist political movements.  True to form, the walls inside Osteria del Montesino are plastered with left-leaning poster from Bologna's last 30 years.

For 7€, you get your of pick the pasta made that day. We both went  for the penne alla zucca -- pasta dressed in a slippery mix of roasted squash, grated parmigiano and pan-frizzled pancetta.   Our meal was so good that we couldn't help but ask how to make it.  The cook's reply: 1) roast squash, 2) stir with cheese and pancetta, 3) toss and 4) serve.  Roasting the squash brings out the gourd's sweet taste -- a sugary note balanced by the umami of the salt-cured pork.

INGREDIENTS:

• 8 oz. penne or rigatoni,cooked al dente
•  1 - 1.5 cups of parmigiano, fresh grated
•  4 oz pancetta, cubed (optional)
•  1 tablespoon butter (optional)
•  1 - 1.5 lbs butternut squash
• 1 onion, rough diced

Photo from: http://fabioc.it/

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.  Cut the squash in half, splitting it down the middle. Since we're roasting the squash whole, there is no need to peel. Scoop the seeds and stringy goop out from the inside, rinsing the squash halves under cold water.  Rub the squash all over with light olive oil.  Then, wrap the squash tightly in aluminum foil. Be sure that no part of the squash is exposed.  Wrapping it will help the fibrous squash to steam and, subsequently, cook faster. Lay the squash halves flat-side down on a cooking sheet and bake for 30-40 minutes -- until the flesh has softened and can be spooned out with little effort.

About 20 minutes into cooking the squash, frizzle the pancetta cubes over medium heat in a large and flat skillet.  Cook until the pancetta's has started to render.  Add the diced onion to the pan-fried pancetta, stirring. When the onion has turned translucent and the cubes are beginning to brown, turn off the heat. Keep the onion and pancetta in the skillet.

Photo.

Take the squash pieces out of the oven and let them cool, unwrapped, for 2-3 min.  Meanwhile, cook the pasta al dente.  Remove the boiled pasta with a slotted spoon, reserving at least 1 cup of the hot and starchy water. Scoop out the squash pulp and mix it in the pan with the pancetta and onion. At this point, return the skillet to medium-low heat.

Stir squash, pancetta and  parmigiano together until a uniform and creamy mix has formed.  The cheese will melt and blend together with the softened pulp. Season to taste with fresh ground black pepper.

Photo

Use a wooden spoon to mash  larger chunks of squash.  As a final step, toss the pasta together with the cheese-and-squash mixture. To ensure an even coating, add a little bit of the hot pasta water to the skillet while stirring. If desired, mix butter in now. Pour the water in 1 tablespoon at a time to avoid making a runny sauce.  Shake the pan once or twice to ensure equal distribution of sugo. Serve hot, sprinkled with a spoonful of grated cheese.