Oricchiette with Shiitake & Peas

Hello there! Apologies for falling off the face of the earth for another week, but it's because this past week we were in...Seattle! I had a conference to attend, so I brought Will along for the fun, since he had never visited before. We had a great time exploring during our limited daylight hours when I wasn't conferencing. We also got to see some old college friends, one of whom we hadn't seen in at least five years. The entire experience was absolutely lovely - we enjoyed lots of different types of foods including Russian baked goods, lots of seafood and a good amount of Asian-inspired dishes. We also tried local beer and wine both in Seattle and on the nearby Bainbridge Island. Despite not having enough time to fit everything in, we had a blast and would happily return at any time!


With all these vacations, clearly I have been slacking on blogging, but that's okay. This recipe makes up for it! If you're afraid of mushrooms, this is a great introduction into the beautiful world of the ugly brown things that actually taste oh so good. A little bit of peas and some difficult pasta to handle later, we had a delicious, creamy, oozy-cheesey dish to enjoy. Not the healthiest but certainly not the unhealthiest thing we've ever made!

Cooking Notes: We didn't have quite 3 cups worth of shiitakes, because a) they're expensive and b) I had a hard time judging how much 3 cups looked like when I was at the grocery store. My bad. He used lemon zest, which we tend to skip unless it's really pertinent to a recipe (sorry). He also garnished his with fresh basil which sounds lovely, if it was summer - we skipped that too.

Orecchiette with Shiitake and Peas (adapted from Salt Pepper Skillet; serves 4-6)
12 oz. orecchiette pasta
3 cups shiitake mushrooms, stemmed and sliced
1 small leek, trimmed, quartered and sliced
2 cloves garlic, minced
10 oz. English peas, blanched
2 tbsp olive oil
2 tbsp butter
1 cup heavy cream
1/2 cup grated parmesan cheese
S&P

Begin by boiling salted water in a large pot. While it is heating up, stem and slice your shiitakes, trim off the dark green parts and quarter/slice your leek, mince your garlic and prepare an ice bath for your peas. Once the water reaches a boil, dump in your peas and blanch for 90 seconds (or less!), then add them to an ice bath. While the peas are all in the ice bath, pour the orecchiette into the pot and cook per package instructions, stirring often. When the pasta is fully cooked, drain and reserve some pasta water for the sauce.

Heat olive oil in a large skillet, then add the mushrooms and sauté until they begin to brown; season with S&P. Add the leeks and garlic, then sauté until they become translucent. Toss in the peas and butter, allowing the butter to melt completely. Once the butter is melted, add the cream and reduce heat until the sauce begins to thicken slightly. Pour in the orecchiette and stir well, warming through - if the sauce looks too thick, add a little pasta water until it reaches the desired consistency. Remove the pan from heat and add the parmesan, stirring to melt it into the pasta. Season with S&P, top with additional parmesan and enjoy!

Recipe: Salt Pepper Skillet: Orecchiette Pasta + Shiitake Mushrooms + English Peas