Equipment
* optional
Ingredients
Mushroom Infusion
- 30 g dried porcini mushrooms, whole pieces
- 350 ml water, boiling
Aromatics and Vegetables
- 1 fennel bulb, trimmed and thinly sliced
- 2 g fennel seeds, coarsely crushed
- 3 garlic, peeled and thinly sliced
- 30 ml extra virgin olive oil
- 30 g unsalted butter, chilled and cubed
- 80 ml dry white wine
Pasta and Finishing
- 340 g farfalle pasta, dry
- 8 g fine sea salt
- 2 g black pepper, coarsely ground
- 50 g vegetarian hard cheese, finely grated
- 10 g flat-leaf parsley, freshly chopped
Nutrition (per serving)
Nutrition is estimated per serving. Nutrients without complete source data are omitted.
Full nutrition
- Calories
- 536 kcal
- Protein
- 18 g
- Carbohydrates
- 70 g
- Fat
- 18 g
- Fiber
- 7 g
- Sodium
- 974 mg
- Saturated Fat
- 7 g
- Potassium
- 585 mg
- Calcium
- 222 mg
- Iron
- 2.6 mg
- Magnesium
- 24 mg
- Phosphorus
- 129 mg
- Zinc
- 0.6 mg
- Vitamin A
- 117 mcg
- Vitamin C
- 12 mg
- Water
- 151 g
Sources: Aggregated Public Data, USDA FoodData Central
Method
Place the dried porcini mushrooms in a heatproof bowl, pour 350ml of boiling water at 100°C (212°F) directly over them, and submerge the pieces completely to steep for 20 minutes.
Set a fine-mesh sieve lined with a coffee filter over a liquid measuring cup and slowly pour the mushroom mixture through to strain out all gritty sediment, reserving 240ml of clear porcini broth.
Transfer the drained porcini mushrooms to a cutting board and chop them into rough 1.5-centimeter pieces.
Fill a large stockpot with 4000ml of cold tap water, set over high heat, cover with a lid, and bring to a rolling boil at 100°C (212°F), then stir in 20g of coarse cooking salt.
Heat 30ml of extra virgin olive oil in a large sauté pan over medium heat at 165°C (330°F), add the thinly sliced fennel bulb and 2g of crushed fennel seeds, and sauté for 8 minutes until tender and caramelized with pale golden edges.
Add the chopped porcini mushrooms, thinly sliced garlic, and 2g of fine sea salt to the sauté pan with the caramelized fennel, cooking over medium heat for 2 minutes until the garlic is translucent and aromatic.
Pour 80ml of dry white wine into the sauté pan and simmer over medium-high heat at 95°C (203°F) for 3 minutes, scraping up all browned fond from the pan bottom, until the wine is reduced by half.
Pour the 240ml of reserved clear porcini broth into the sauté pan and simmer gently over medium heat at 90°C (194°F) for 5 minutes to meld the flavors and reduce the liquid slightly.
Add 340g of dry farfalle to the pot of rapidly boiling salted water and cook for 10 minutes, testing occasionally until 1 minute short of al dente.
Use a spider strainer to lift the farfalle directly from the pot into the simmering mushroom and fennel pan sauce, reserving 120ml of the cloudy pasta cooking water from the pot.
Add 30g of chilled cubed unsalted butter and 60ml of reserved pasta cooking water to the sauté pan, tossing vigorously over medium-low heat at 85°C (185°F) for 2 minutes to emulsify a glossy, clinging sauce.
Remove the sauté pan entirely from heat, fold in 50g of finely grated vegetarian hard cheese, 10g of chopped flat-leaf parsley, the remaining 6g of fine sea salt, and 2g of coarsely ground black pepper, adding splashes of remaining pasta water if needed to maintain glossiness.
Transfer the finished pasta into 4 warm shallow serving bowls, scatter reserved delicate fennel fronds over each plate, and serve immediately.
Chef's Notes
- Rehydrated porcini liquor contains massive concentrations of natural glutamates; filtering it carefully turns tap water into an intense homemade mushroom stock.
- Browning the fennel slowly brings out natural sweetness through caramelization, creating a bridge between the savory umami of porcini and the liquorice top notes.
- Using cold cubed butter at the emulsification stage creates micro-droplets that lock together with the starchy pasta water, mimicking a restaurant-style mantecatura.
- Farfalle is uniquely suited to chunky mushroom sauces because the ruffled edges grab sliced aromatics while the pleated center holds the emulsion.
Storage
Refrigerator: 3 days — Cool promptly and seal in an airtight glass or BPA-free container within 2 hours of cooking.
Reheating: Warm gently in a sauté pan over medium-low heat with 30ml to 45ml of water or vegetable stock, stirring until thoroughly heated through and steaming at a minimum internal temperature of 74°C (165°F).
Troubleshooting
Pan sauce separates into grease and thin watery broth instead of coating the pasta smoothly
Cause: The heat was kept too high when folding in the butter and hard cheese, causing dairy proteins to curdle
Fix: Vigorously whisk in 30ml of hot starchy pasta water off heat to re-emulsify the sauce components
Prevention: Lower the pan heat to gentle simmering before adding butter, and pull the pan off heat completely before folding in cheese
Unpleasant grit or crunch in the mushroom sauce
Cause: Porcini soaking liquor was added without fine filtration, letting natural wild forest silt pass through
Fix: Cannot be fixed once combined with the pasta; the liquid must be clarified prior to cooking
Prevention: Always filter the soaking liquor through a paper coffee filter or cheesecloth, and leave the last 15ml of muddy liquid in the bowl
The center pinch of the farfalle remains hard and chalky while the wings are limp
Cause: Pasta was removed from the boiling water too early before the dense center had hydrated
Fix: Add 60ml of hot pasta water to the sauté pan and simmer covered for 2 minutes over low heat to finish steaming the centers
Prevention: Always sample the central knot of a farfalle piece rather than its edges when judging pasta doneness
Cultural Context
Wild mushroom foraging is deeply rooted in the autumnal food culture of Central and Northern Italy, where porcini are celebrated as the king of wild fungi. Pairing forest mushrooms with cultivated winter fennel reflects the regional Italian principle of cucina povera, where humble vegetables and dried forest preserves combine to produce complex, comforting dinners.
