Top pasta with carmelized vegetables and porcini mushrooms

Here’s an unusual and luscious pasta dish with sweet caramelized vegetables and crispy breadcrumbs that are flavoured with porcini mushrooms.

Porcini (pronounced por-CHEE-nee) mushrooms have a dark, intriguing flavour. You can buy them dried in gourmet stores or well-stocked supermarkets, and soak them in liquid to soften them and use in sauces and stews. But this is the first time I’ve used them dried as a flavouring.

I got the idea from famous British cook and television personality Jamie Oliver to toss in a handful of dried porcini mushrooms with breadcrumbs into your blender or food processor, to make a crisp and tasty topping for pasta.

It tastes so good, you won’t even need grated cheese!

Jamie Oliver used leeks with his pasta. Since it’s spring, I used beautiful little zucchini that I found at the Kitchener Farmers Market, with a few curls of lemon zest for that whiff of freshness.

It was a delicious supper that I’ll make over and over again.

ldamato@therecord.com

Spaghetti with Caramelized Onions, Zucchini and Porcini Breadcrumbs

125 ml (1/2 cup) olive oil

2 large red onions, chopped

2 or 3 young zucchini, sliced thickly

A yellow pepper, cut into bite-size pieces

4 large white mushrooms, sliced

4 pieces day-old white bread

Handful of dried porcini mushrooms

2 cloves garlic, chopped

Handful of Italian parsley, chopped

Enough spaghetti for 3 or 4 people

5 ml (1 tsp) lemon zest

Heat the olive oil on medium in a large saucepan, Stir in the onions, zucchini, pepper and mushrooms. Cook on medium-low heat, covered, for 15 minutes or until vegetables are very tender.

While vegetables cook, boil water for spaghetti in another large pot and add salt. Put in the pasta and boil until tender but not mushy; drain and toss with a small amount of oil to prevent sticking.

Toast the bread and break into pieces. Put it into a food processor or blender and add the handful of dried mushrooms. Process to crumbs.

When the vegetables have cooked 15 minutes, remove the lid and turn up the heat to brown them. Add the chopped garlic in the last few minutes of cooking. When garlic is a pale gold, lift vegetables out of the oil with a slotted spoon and place in serving bowl. Add the breadcrumbs to the oil remaining in the pan and cook a few seconds until breadcrumbs are crisp.

Add the pasta to the serving bowl and toss with the vegetables. Toss again with the breadcrumbs, parsley and lemon zest. Serve immediately. Makes 4 servings.

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