Recipe Pappardelle with Mushroom, Smoked Pancetta & Saffron

[MypinchofItaly]

Serves 4, Preparation 20 mins, Cooking 25 mins

• 350 g Pappardelle Pasta
• 1 sachet of saffron powder (0.16 g) or 30 saffron threads, to dilute
• Diced smoked Pancetta,100 g
• Champignon/Button mushrooms, 300 g
• half an onion, finely sliced
• salt and black pepper, to taste
• A sprig of fresh parsley, chopped
• EVOO – Extra Virgin Olive Oil, 2 tablespoons

Method

Clean mushrooms only with a damp cloth removing the soil (if any) from the stalks and trimming the tough end, then slice the mushrooms.

Gently fry the sliced onion in a pan with 2 tablespoons of EVOO for a few minutes, add mushrooms, parsley, season with salt and pepper and cook for 5 minutes.
In a separate saucepan, heat a tablespoon of EVOO and fry smoked pancetta until crispy, then add it to the pan with mushrooms and stir.

Bring a pot of salted water to the boil and cook Pappardelle. Meanwhile save a small glass of pasta cooking water in which dissolve the saffron powder.

Tip: In general, be careful not to add too much saffron to a dish, otherwise it goes from a pronounced sweet earthy flavor to a bitter taste.

Save another glass of cooking water, drain Pappardelle and add to the pan with mushrooms and Pancetta, add diluted saffron, stir, add the glass of cooking water to get more creaminess, mix well and serve.