Hello friends, I am blogging in real time today! Hope everyone has enjoyed this beautiful fall weekend. This morning I finally had the opportunity to return to my beloved Hollywood Farmers’ Market. It had been two weeks since my last visit – for shame. Today I could not resist the Domenico’s tent. Not only do they have a plethora of fresh pastas, they also have the only pre-made pesto I would ever consider purchasing, made with roasted Marcona almonds and basil. Mind-blowing. I went for a package of fresh whole wheat bucatini and then made my way to the mushroom tent to purchase a $10 bag of fresh chanterelles. Between these two items I was already at $16, which means I couldn’t really go too much further with the purchases. So, I got stocked up on some fresh herbs – chives and chocolate mint are my two staples, but today I got a third one that I’ve never used, marjoram. It’s almost like a cross between rosemary and sage. Thought it would be perfect for a mushroom sauce to go with this fresh pasta.
Well, let me tell you, I was right. I chopped up the chanterelles with some creminis and sauteed them in butter and olive oil and salt. I also soaked some dried porcinis in boiling water for 10 minutes. I then chopped them up and threw them into the pan. Once soft I added 3 cloves of garlic run through a garlic press and one finely diced shallot. After cooking those for a minute, I added a bit of flour, cooked that for another minute, then added the water I soaked the porcinis in with some beef stock. Once it got thick and bubbly I added 1 cup of defrosted frozen peas, the fresh marjoram, then let it simmer for a bit. Once my bucatini was cooked I scooped it right out of the pot into the saute pan. I brought it all together with some fresh parmesan and romano. An earthy, comforting meal for a chilly night. Delicious.
Happy Sunday 🙂