Fettuccine with morels and country ham
Salt: 1 tsp/6g
Fettuccine pasta: 8 oz/250g fresh or 4 oz/125g of dried
Olive oil: 2 tbsp/30g
Butter: 1 tbsp/15g
Morel mushrooms: 1 cup/250g fresh, cleaned and cut into quarters or ½ cup/125g dried reconstituted in warm water
Shallots: ½ tsp/7g, minced
Garlic: ¼ tsp (1 small clove), minced
Heavy cream: 3 cups/700ml
Parmesan cheese: ½ cup/3g, freshly grated
Freshly grated nutmeg: pinch
Salt and pepper: Freshly ground, to taste
Country ham: 2 very thin slices cooked and well-trimmed, cut into ribbons the same thickness of the fettuccine
Chives: 1 tbsp/15g, fresh and chopped
Learn how to make chef Patrick O’Connell’s fettuccine with morel mushrooms and country ham.
Bring 4 quarts/l of water to a rolling boil and add the salt. Cook the fettuccine until just barely al dente. Drain in a colander and toss with 1 tablespoon of oil. Keep warm.
In a 10-inch sauté pan, melt the butter and the remaining tablespoon of oil over high heat. Add the morels just as the butter begins to color. Sauté rapidly until the mushrooms begin to crisp around the edges. Add the shallots and garlic and sauté for one minute more. Remove from heat.
In a 4 quart/l saucepan bring the cream to a boil. Reduce the heat and add half of the sautéed mushrooms (reserve the other half for garnish). Cook until the cream thickens enough to coat the back of the spoon. Stir in the cheese. Add the nutmeg and season with salt and pepper.
Add the fettuccine to the sauce and toss well to combine.
Using tongs, place a mound of fettuccine in each of 4 warm serving bowls and pour a bit of the remaining sauce over the noodles. Place the reserved mushrooms on top of the fettuccine and divide the ham evenly among the bowls. Garnish with chives.
No other mushroom has a richer, earthier or meatier taste than the morel. In this dish, the flavor permeates the cream. You may substitute dried morels (after soaking them in water for a few minutes) or try other varieties of mushrooms such as chanterelles.
