Ever since Linda from Ciao Chow Linda sent me some dried morel mushrooms that her brother found, I’ve been thinking about what to make with them.  If you don’t know yet, I’m a huge fan of foraging for wild mushrooms.  You can read about some other wild mushroom recipes here and here.

So I decided to make a pasta recipe and it did not disappoint!

This is what you need:

• 1 pound of short cut pasta – I used ziti
• 1-2 oz of dried morel mushrooms
• olive oil
• pancetta – handful, diced
• 1/4 pound of chicken breast cut into small cubes
• 1 shallot – chopped
• 1-2 cloves of chopped garlic
• 1/4 cup of heavy cream
• 1/4 cup of grated parmigiano
• salt & pepper

This is what you need to do:

Bring approximately 2 1/2 cups of water to a boil in a small pot, then add your dried morel mushrooms and let them boil for about 15 minutes so they reconstitute.  Take your morel mushrooms out, chop them into small pieces and put the water aside (do not throw the water out.)

In a large sauce pan, add a splash of olive oil, your garlic, shallot and pancetta and let it simmer for a few minutes. Then add your morels and chicken.  Let it cook until the chicken is almost completely cooked through (about 10 minutes.)  Add the water from your morels and bring it to a boil, then add your cream, salt & pepper and cook for an additional 10-15 minutes uncovered to let the liquid reduce.  Lastly, add your parmigiano (which will thicken the sauce)… mix in your cooked pasta and give it a good stir.  Pour 2 glasses of Pinot Noir (one for you and one for your significant other… you don’t want to get in trouble) and serve.   Enjoy and buon appetito!