Friday, September 28, 2007

Pici with Fresh Porcini and Pecorino

This edition of Presto Pasta Night sees me back cooking "live" so to speak, it's just that my location has changed and I am now in Florence.

Yesterday it basically rained all the way from Turin to Florence and it was still raining when I went to the market this morning.

I'll be combining the rather wintery conditions with typical produce of the region to produce a dish fit for not only the weary traveller but anyone at all.

One of the first things I bought this morning was fresh Porcini

porcini


the rain just said mushroom weather to me.

From my last visit I knew there's a stall that makes fresh pasta so why not take advantage of that fact

making pasta


Here they are busy preparing the pasta for the day.

pasta bag


The pasta I've chosen is called Pici

pici


Pici are a Tuscan pasta that you can see are somewhat like a course and thick spaghetti.

To keep in the Tuscan spirit the cheese I'm using is a Pecorino

pecorino


that hails from the Tuscan town of Arezzo.

Putting all these ingredients together I get this

pici and porcini


Pici with Fresh Porcini and Pecorino

fresh Pici
fresh porcini, cleaned and sliced
fresh thyme leaves
red onion, sliced finely
1 garlic clove, sliced finely
pecorino, roughly grated
salt and freshly ground black pepper

Heat a little butter and olive oil in a pan and when the butter has melted add the onion and garlic and cook gently until softened and beginning to colour.

Add a little more butter followed by the sliced porcini and sauté until soft and golden, sprinkle over with the fresh thyme and a some rough sliced slivers of pecorino.

Allow the cheese to melt before adding the cooked pasta, along with a grind of salt and white pepper. Toss this around to allow the pasta to soak in all the pan juices before serving into bowls.

Sprinkle over with a little more pecorino and a drizzle of extra virgin olive oil.

pici and porcini

12 comments

  1. Definitely the star of this week's Presto Pasta Night. I love it. And is Florence as wonderful as I remember?

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  2. When I think of 'real' Italian food, this is what comes to mind. I can't source good pecorino here, which drives me nuts.

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  3. That's some yummy looking alliteration. :)

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  4. This looks really good. Simple ingredients yet super tasty. I have not seen any fresh porcini mushrooms around here I will have to look harder.

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  5. Fabulous, and I'm convinced Florence is one of the most beautiful cities in the world!

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  6. oh wow.....lucky you, getting to cook with fresh ingredients in Florence.

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  7. Lovely. Just lovely.

    Paz

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  8. Fresh porcini! Droooool!

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  9. A wonderful use of fresh local ingredients. I haven't been to Florence since I was 18...believe me when I tell you that was a decade or maybe 2 ago.I remember the museums most of all. I will look forward to all of your wonderful posts from Florence!

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  10. Thanks Ruth - it's a little more crowded then my last visit but i'm enjoying the market for now.

    Thanks Kevin.

    Indeed it is Parsnip!

    Thanks Kevin - they are hard to find and very expensive in australia so I'm in heaven here.

    Thanks Kalyn - it's beautiful when you can see it through the crowds.

    Thanks Nabeela

    Thanks Paz!

    Don't they just have the most lovely aroma Y?

    Thanks Valli - the museums are great but it's also lovely just to wander around down a lane and see where it takes you.

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  11. My goodness, Hallo. You are still blogging while you are in Italy, that's fantastic! I can enjoy your trip vicariously this way. This dish is simply delicious.

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