Makaruni Pasta with Morel Mushroom Sauce

I refer to the dough for this rustic hand-shaped pasta as "Rich Man's Golden Pasta," because in Italy it's a luxury to use precious egg yolks to moisten and enrich pasta dough. Makaruni, common in my birthplace of Istria, is a pasta my grandmother used to make when there was no time to roll, cut, and shape other pastas. Use this rich dough to prepare pappardelle when time allows.

Yield: 4 servings (serving size: 1 2/3 cups pasta mixture and 1 tablespoon cheese)

Ingredients

• Pasta:
• 2  cups  all-purpose flour (about 9 ounces)
• Dash of salt
• 6  tablespoons  water
• 1 1/2  tablespoons  extravirgin olive oil
• 5  large egg yolks
• 6  quarts water
• 
  Sauce:
• 2 1/4  cups  fat-free, less-sodium chicken broth
• 2  ounces  dried morel mushrooms
• 1 1/2  teaspoons  olive oil
• 1  cup  thinly sliced onion
• 2  garlic cloves, minced
• 1  teaspoon  kosher salt
• 2  teaspoons  finely chopped fresh thyme
• 1/2  teaspoon  freshly ground black pepper
• 1 1/2  pounds  cremini mushrooms, sliced
• 1/4  cup  no-salt-added tomato paste
• 2  tablespoons  chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
• 1  tablespoon  truffle oil
• 1/4  cup  (1 ounce) grated fresh Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese

Preparation

1. To prepare pasta, lightly spoon flour into dry measuring cups; level with a knife. Combine flour and dash of salt in a food processor. Combine 6 tablespoons water, 1 1/2 tablespoons extravirgin olive oil, and egg yolks in a bowl, stirring well with a whisk. With processor on, slowly pour water mixture through food chute, processing just until dough forms a ball. Turn dough out onto a lightly floured surface; knead lightly 5 times. Shape dough into a disk. Dust dough lightly with flour; wrap in plastic wrap. Let stand 30 minutes.

2. Pat dough into a 3 x 8–inch rectangle 1-inch thick. Divide dough into 8 equal portions. Working with 1 portion at a time (cover remaining dough to prevent drying), divide dough into 14 equal pieces. Roll each piece between your palms back and forth, into a strand about 2 inches long. Place strands on a well-floured jelly-roll pan. Repeat procedure with remaining dough portions to form 112 strands.

3. Bring 6 quarts water to a boil in a large Dutch oven. Place pasta in a sieve, and shake off excess flour. Add pasta to pan. Cook for 1 1/2 minutes or until done; drain.

4. To prepare sauce, bring broth to a boil in a medium saucepan. Add morel mushrooms to pan. Remove from heat. Cover and let stand 40 minutes. Drain morel mushrooms through a colander over a bowl, reserving morel mushrooms and liquid. Halve morel mushrooms lengthwise; set aside.

5. Heat 1 1/2 teaspoons olive oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add onion to pan, and sauté for 3 minutes, stirring frequently. Clear a spot in bottom of pan. Add garlic to clear spot in pan, and saute for 30 seconds. Add salt, thyme, and pepper; sauté 30 seconds, stirring frequently. Add reserved morel mushrooms and cremini mushrooms to pan. Cover, reduce heat, and cook for 4 minutes. Uncover, increase heat to medium-high, and cook 2 minutes or until liquid almost evaporates, stirring frequently. Clear a spot in bottom of pan. Add tomato paste to clear spot; cook 1 minute. Stir tomato paste into mushroom mixture.

6. Stir in 1 cup reserved mushroom liquid. Cook for 8 minutes or until very thick, stirring occasionally. Stir in remaining mushroom liquid; cook for 4 minutes or until slightly thick, stirring occasionally. Add pasta and parsley to sauce mixture; toss well. Stir in truffle oil. Serve with cheese.

Nutritional Information

Calories:

525 (31% from fat)

Fat:

18.3g (sat 4.8g,mono 10.6g,poly 2.4g)

Protein:

22.4g

Carbohydrate:

64.4g

Fiber:

4.5g

Cholesterol:

263mg

Iron:

7.8mg

Sodium:

882mg

Calcium:

165mg