Mushrooms and Fideos with Arugula and Hazelnuts

That Rachael Ray loves her pasta ... and so do I. This was a fast and easy meal that hit the spot in a healthy way.  Because Silent Bob isn't around these days, I halved the recipe. It made enough for my dinner and lunch the next day. Rachael calls this Spaghettti 'Risotto', but in Spain, broken noodles like these are called Fideos, so that's what I'm calling them ... it's easier to type and I'm feeling lazy.

I love the earthiness of this recipe. The combination of the bitter arugula, nutty noodles, and hazelnuts wrapped around those mushrooms is just perfect. I normally use quite a bit of cheese on my pasta, but it's not needed here. There are so many other flavours going on that more cheese would mask them, and we wouldn't want to do that, would we? No, we would not!

This has earned a place on my list of favorite pasta recipes. Try it and tell me what YOU think!

Mushrooms and Fideos with Arugula and Hazelnuts - printer friendly

Wild Mushrooms and Fideos with Arugula & Hazelnuts

adapted a bit from RR's recipe in Look + Cook

Ingredients:

3 tbsp. olive oil

1 medium onion, small dice

2 large garlic cloves, minced

salt and pepper

small box Shitake mushrooms, sliced

small box Crimini mushrooms, thick sliced

1 quart chicken broth

2 c. water

1 lb. fideos (broken spaghetti - 1 inch pieces)

½ c. dry white wine

¾ c. chopped hazelnuts, toasted

2 tbsp. butter
¾  c. Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese or Parmesan for milder flavour

4 c. arugula, washed and spun dry

½ lemon, juiced

Making the Dish:

1. Season the onion and garlic with salt and pepper and sauté in the olive oil until shiny and becoming tender.

2. Add the mushrooms in a couple batches and continue the sauté to brown the mushrooms.

3. Add the pasta to the mix. Let it crisp and brown up around the edges a bit - it will get golden and start to smell nutty.

4. Pour the wine over it and stir it around to bring all the pasta and veg down into the bubbling wine.

5. When the wine has absorbed, add the chicken stock one cup at a time and let it absorb almost completely before adding another cup. When the stock has been used up, use the water - again, one cup at a time.

6. While the pasta cooks, toast the hazelnuts and have them ready to stir in.

7. Prepare the arugula by placing it in salad bowl and drizzling it with the lemon juice and some olive oil. Toss to coat and set it aside.

8. When the pasta is cooked to al dente, add the butter and the P-R cheese, tossing to distribute the cheese and melt the butter.

9. Serve the pasta by placing a mound in a shallow pasta bowl, topped with a handful of the arugula and a scattering of the hazelnuts.

10 Pass more cheese for extra sprinkling.