Rachel Roddy’s recipe for spaghetti with mushrooms, soft cheese and herbs | A kitchen in Rome
Hidden depth and flavour can be found in mushrooms, while the cheese brings a silky texture to this simple supper
Before cooking something, it is never a bad idea to turn to the expert on the science of food and cooking, Harold McGee. This week, I had mushrooms, which, as he notes, are fruiting bodies, specialised structures that, encouraged by the parent body underground, force themselves up through the soil and open their umbrella-like cap so the gills or pores can release spores into passing air currents. The aim is the same as for all pushy parents: get the next generation into the world and hope they don’t get eaten in the process.
I am hoping that a few million spores got out before the white and chestnut mushrooms I bought at our local supermarket were picked and packed. Mushrooms are often described as smelling and tasting earthy, but, as with most things, McGee is right. After I’d brushed the actual earth off the base of the stems and wiped the caps with a bit of damp kitchen towel, the mushrooms in fact smelled faintly of waxy citrus peel, yeast, almond and chicken fat – which are the octanol molecules, apparently. ‘“Faintly” being the key word here, though that scent is enhanced by cooking, in particular the almond aspect, which is then joined by the meat-malt flavour that emerges when mushrooms meet heat in a frying pan, lose water and take on colour alongside butter and garlic.
The green shoot in the middle of my garlic clove, which turned out to be incredibly pungent, was a reminder that, at this time of year (just before the new season starts), garlic can be extremely strong and even verging on unpleasantly bitter, so sniff and adjust the quantity accordingly. I have suggested two small cloves, one whole at the beginning, followed by some minced garlic later, but it could well be the case that half a minced clove is enough. As for the herbs, parsley is ideal, but dill, fennel fronds or finely chopped chives will all work well, too. Regarding the soft cheese, I have used countless sorts for this dish, and all successfully: robiola, a soft ripened cheese in the stracchino family that’s made with varying proportions of cow’s, goat’s and sheep’s milk, cream cheese, ricotta (which needs more help on the flavour front from the parmesan), soft goat’s cheese, Philadelphia and Boursin.
As always, don’t hold back from really tossing and jolting the pasta (a sloping-sided pan or wok is useful here) to bring all the elements together. The aim of this action also knocks the starch off the surface of cooked pasta. This in turn meets the fat, cream cheese and starchy cooking water, so forming a starchy binding agent, which is where you get the loose, silky texture that is so satisfying, good and, in this case, beige.
Spaghetti with mushrooms, soft cheese and herbs
Serves 4
20g butter
3 tbsp olive oil
2 small garlic cloves, peeled, one left whole, one finely minced
400g mushrooms (button, chestnut, field), rubbed clean and quartered
Salt and black pepper
150g soft cheese (robiola, cream cheese, soft goat’s cheese, Philadelphia)
2 heaped tbsp grated parmesan
1 tsp minced herbs (parsley, dill, fennel fronds)
500g spaghetti, or linguine, spaghettone or tagliatelle
Bring a large pan of water to a boil for the pasta. In a large frying pan over a medium low flame, melt the butter and olive oil, add the whole clove of garlic and, once the butter is foaming, stir in the mushrooms and fry in a lively way, moving them briskly with a wooden spoon. Once they have reduced in size and released some liquid, add the minced garlic, turn down the heat and leave to sizzle gently; if at any point they seem at all dry, pull the pan off the heat and cover with a plate to keep them warm.
Salt the boiling water, add the pasta and cook according to packet instructions until al dente. Meanwhile, in a small bowl, mix the soft cheese, parmesan, lots of black pepper and herbs with a little of the pasta cooking water (simply scoop it out with a mug or ladle) and stir to make a soft cream.
Once the pasta is cooked, use a spider or spaghetti fork to lift it directly into the mushroom pan, put it on a low heat and toss well. Scrape in the creamy cheese mix and toss again, if need be adding more pasta cooking water to create a loose, silky texture. Serve immediately.