Tagliatelle with Fresh Porcini Mushrooms

This is my recipe for tagliatelle with fresh porcini mushrooms. I use homemade tagliatelle made with egg pasta from Emilia-Romagna. This dish is what I make every September as soon as the porcini season starts.

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• Tagliatelle with fresh porcini mushrooms

Porcini mushrooms grow wild between August and November and cannot be cultivated.

In Italy, their appearance is tied to the country's exceptional geographical variations.

Every region has its own mountains, and it is an Italian custom to move to higher ground during the hottest weeks of summer.

When mid-August arrives and the first thunderstorms break the heat, the alternation of sun and rain creates the perfect conditions for wild mushrooms to grow.

Foraging for porcini has become so widespread across Italy that the mushrooms are now rare to find, because people forage without respecting the natural cycle and without leaving anything to regrow.

Now locals keep their places secret.

Luckily my sister's cabin in the Sila mountains is a great location and we start early in the morning, before the competition arrives.

For more wild mushroom recipes, you can check out my porcini risotto, pasta with black truffle, gnocchi with truffle, and chanterelle mushrooms with potatoes.

Ingredients

• Fresh porcini mushrooms (frozen porcini if out of season). Buy them firm, with no soft spots; the stem and cap should be intact and dry.
• Butter. It rounds out the earthiness of the porcini without competing with it.
• Garlic cloves, peeled. They give depth to the flavour without dominating.
• Coarse salt. For the pasta water.
• White wine. Optional but it does add a special flavor.
• Fresh parsley, chopped. A finishing herb added at the end.
• Parmigiano Reggiano. Served at the table.

• Fresh tagliatelle (pasta all'uovo, made with semolina flour and eggs). This is the pasta of Emilia-Romagna. The wide, soft noodle holds the sauce in a way dried pasta cannot. I usually make mine at home; you can find my recipe at the link. For a weeknight dinner, fresh tagliatelle bought from a good Italian deli works well.

Find the measurements in the recipe card below.

About fresh porcini

Porcini are one of the few wild mushrooms that cannot be cultivated.

The season runs from September through November, which means they are only available for a short period each year.

The flavour is specific and cannot be replicated with any other variety.

While I have been foraging porcini mushrooms my entire life, I will not give direction on how to forage them as it is a very specialized skill and foraging the wrong mushroom can have serious health consequences.

When buying fresh porcini, look for firm mushrooms with no soft spots.

The stem and cap should be intact and dry.

Porcini absorb moisture very easily, which is why they must be cleaned with a mushroom brush and kitchen paper.

Never clean them under running water, as this affects both the texture and the flavour.

If you cannot find fresh porcini, chanterelle or morel mushrooms are acceptable substitutes, as they share a similar chunky texture.

Shiitake mushrooms are not suitable because of their lack of chunky meat.

If fresh porcini are out of season, see my guide to dried porcini mushrooms.

Step by step instructions

• Clean the porcini mushrooms with a mushroom brush and kitchen paper. Do not use water.
• Cut off the base of the stem where dirt collects, then dice the mushrooms into even pieces.
• Melt the butter in a pan over medium heat and add the garlic cloves. Let the garlic cook gently until fragrant, then remove it.
• Add the diced porcini to the pan. Stir and cook until the mushrooms are done but still firm. Season with salt and pepper.
• Pour in the white wine and let it cook off.
• Add the chopped parsley and stir through.
• Cook the fresh tagliatelle in a large pot of well-salted boiling water. Fresh pasta cooks in 4 minutes.
• Drain the tagliatelle and add it directly to the pan with the porcini. Toss to coat.
• Serve immediately with Parmigiano Reggiano at the table.

Serving Suggestions

Serve immediately, while the pasta is still absorbing the sauce.

In Italy, this is a primo piatto - a first course - and it is served on its own, without a side dish. That is how it should be eaten.

If you want to serve it as a main course, you can add some bacon to the porcini and serve an antipasto as a starter.

If fresh porcini are out of season, you can use dried porcini or frozen one. The technique is different, but the flavour is still genuine.

Make-ahead

This dish is best eaten immediately.

The tagliatelle continues to absorb the sauce as it sits, and reheating changes the texture of the porcini.

I do not recommend making it ahead.

Leftover porcini sauce (without the pasta) can be kept in the refrigerator for one day and used to dress a fresh batch of pasta.

FAQ

Can I use frozen porcini mushrooms? Yes, frozen porcini work when fresh are out of season. The texture will be slightly softer but the flavour holds well. Add them directly to the pan without defrosting first.

Can I use dried porcini for this recipe? Dried porcini work, but the technique is different. I have a separate guide to cooking with dried porcini.

What can I substitute for fresh porcini? Chanterelle or morel mushrooms are acceptable substitutes, as they share a similar chunky texture. Shiitake mushrooms are not suitable because of their lack of chunky meat.

More recipes with Porcini

If you are making these tagliatelle with fresh porcini mushrooms, leave your comment below I would like to hear from you. You can find more delicious ideas if you FOLLOW ME on Facebook, YouTube, Instagram or sign up to my newsletter.

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