Boscaiola sauce is a classic Italian sauce generally served with any type of pasta. It is made using mushrooms and a few other ingredients to bring out an irresistible flavour that compliments perfectly with the pasta. There are many different varieties of Boscaiola sauce, some people prefer to have it thick by adding cream and some prefer to have it without tomato and no cream and some even use wine in the dish. However every variety of Boscaiola made includes mushrooms as it is a main ingredient of the dish. The dish is often made in Italy when porcini mushrooms are in season.
Where I am at, porcini mushrooms aren’t available so I will be using button mushrooms instead which also work well with the recipe. I love tomatoes and I love my sauces saucy so I added a very little amount of cream to give it a creamy appearance and a saucy taste but not too heavy. This recipe can be made as a vegetarian dish by removing the bacon. So it would be great for a vegetarian Monday and Friday or even just to have as a light and healthy dinner.
SPAGHETTI BOSCAIOLA
Prep-Time: 10 mins Serve: 3
Cooking Time: 20 mins
Ingredients
3 tomatoes, chopped
Pasta for 3 servings, any type you prefer
100g bacon, chopped
200g button mushrooms, chopped
1/2 cup chopped parsley
1 onion, chopped
3 cloves garlic, crushed
2 tbsp thicken cream
salt and pepper to taste
Olive oil
Method
Brown the bacon in a pan on medium heat and then transfer on to a plate and set a side.
In the same pan heat oil over medium heat, add in the garlic and onion once the oil is heated and cook for 3 minutes or until the onion is cooked but not brown. Add in the mushrooms and cook for 10 minutes until the mushrooms are caramelised with the onion.
While waiting for the mushrooms to caramelise, bring water to a boil in a separate pot and cook pasta as instructed, drain and set aside. Keep the pasta water for later use.
Add in your tomatoes and return the cooked bacon into the pan, stir to combine and cook the tomatoes for 5 minutes or until the tomatoes start to cook up. Add in the cream and 1/4 of the parsley (also add in a little it of the pasta water if the sauce is too thick or too dry) stir to heat the cream for one minute and then add in the pasta and stir. Transfer on to a serving plate and top up with the rest of the parsley to serve.
