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BIG NIGHT IN More than 100 Wonderful Recipes for Feeding Family and Friends Italian-Style by Domenica Marchetti photography by Susie Cushner Chronicle Books November 2008 $24.95/softcover Full-color photography ISBN: 978-0-8118-5929-5 Back to book information Printer-friendly page

Fall is the time for this ultra-rich baked pasta dish. The whisper of truffle comes from sottocenere al tartufo, a creamy textured cow's milk cheese from the Veneto region that is laced with bits of black and white truffle and has a fine coating of ash and spices (see Cook's Note).

For the mushrooms
1 ounce (1 cup) dried porcini
1 cup boiling water
3 tablespoons butter, plus additional for greasing a baking dish
3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
3 cloves garlic, minced
2 pounds mixed fresh mushrooms, including shiitakes, portobellas,
          and any others that catch your eye
1 tablespoon minced fresh oregano
1 tablespoon minced fresh thyme
1/2 cup dry Marsala wine
1 teaspoon kosher or sea salt, or to taste
Freshly ground black pepper
1/4 cup minced flat-leaf parsley

For the béchamel sauce
6 tablespoons butter, plus more to butter the baking dish
6 tablespoons flour
4 cups whole milk or 2 cups whole milk and 2 cups light cream, heated to a simmer
Kosher or sea salt to taste
Freshly ground black pepper to taste
Pinch of freshly grated nutmeg

2 pounds fettuccine
1-1/2 cups freshly grated Parmigiano Reggiano
1-1/2 cups shredded sottocenere al tartufo

To prepare the mushrooms
Put the dried porcini in a small heatproof bowl and pour the boiling water over them. Let them stand for 20 to 30 minutes, or until softened. Drain the porcini in a fine-mesh sieve lined with damp paper towels or cheesecloth, reserving the liquid. Chop the mushrooms coarsely and set the mushrooms and liquid aside separately.

In a large skillet or sauté pan, heat 3 tablespoons of butter and 3 tablespoons of oil over medium heat. Add the garlic and sauté for 3 to 4 minutes, until the garlic is softened but not browned. Add the fresh mushrooms, oregano, and thyme and sauté for 10 minutes, or until the liquid the mushrooms release has evaporated and they are tender. Raise the heat to medium-high and pour in the Marsala. Cook for 2 minutes, or until the wine has evaporated. Season the mushrooms with salt and pepper, stir once more and remove from the heat. Stir in the parsley.

To make the béchamel sauce
Melt the 6 tablespoons of butter in a heavy-bottomed saucepan placed over medium-low heat. Sprinkle in the flour, stirring vigorously with a whisk until the mixture is smooth. Cook for 2 minutes, and then gradually pour in the heated milk, whisking all the while to prevent scorching. Cook the béchamel sauce for 10 minutes, stirring constantly, until it is nicely thickened. Stir in the reserved porcini liquid, taking care to incorporate it well. Turn off the heat and season the sauce with a few pinches of salt, a few grindings of pepper (some cooks prefer to use white pepper here, but I don't mind the little black specks from black pepper), and the fresh nutmeg.

To prepare the fettuccine
Heat the oven to 400ºF. Lightly butter a large oven-proof baking dish.

Bring a large pot of salted water to a rolling boil. Cook the pasta until it is slightly undercooked (cooking time will depend on the brand of pasta). Drain the pasta in a colander placed in the sink, reserving about 1 cup of the pasta water in a heatproof cup.

Return the fettuccine to the pot in which you cooked it. Add the reserved béchamel sauce, the mushrooms, 1 cup of the Parmigiano-Reggiano, and all of the sottocenere cheese. If the pasta is clumping together, add a little of the reserved pasta water to loosen it a bit.

Pile the fettuccine into the baking dish, spreading it out evenly. Sprinkle with the reserved 1/2 cup of Parmigiano. Cover the dish with foil and bake for 20 minutes. Uncover and bake for 15 minutes more, until the top is golden. Serve immediately.

Do Ahead
The mushrooms can be sautéed a day in advance and refrigerated in a tightly lidded container. Reheat them on the stove top before tossing them with the cooked fettuccine and sauce. The béchamel sauce can be made well in advance and refrigerated for up to 3 days in a tightly lidded container. Bring it to a simmer on the stove top before mixing it with the cooked fettuccine.

Cook's Note
If you are unable to find sottocenere al tartufo, substitute imported fontina Val d'Aosta.