This is the dish we make when the shed's mushroom logs finally deliver, or on the rare good day when a foraging walk actually turns up something worth carrying home. It's deliberately simple — good mushrooms don't need much done to them, and this recipe is really just a vehicle for whatever came out of the woods or the grow bags that day.
A note on foraging, since we get asked: only eat wild mushrooms you can identify with total certainty, ideally cross-checked with someone experienced or a proper field guide, not a single photo comparison. We stick mostly to a small handful of species we're completely confident on — chanterelles, ceps, and the oyster mushrooms we now grow ourselves, which take the guesswork out entirely.
Ingredients
- 300g mixed mushrooms (oyster, chestnut, or whatever you've got), torn into pieces
- 250g pappardelle or other wide pasta
- 2 tbsp butter
- 2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
- 1 shallot, finely chopped
- A small glass of white wine (optional)
- 100ml double cream
- A handful of grated hard cheese, plus more to serve
- A few sprigs of thyme
- Salt and black pepper
Method
- Bring a large pot of salted water to the boil for the pasta and cook according to the packet, reserving a cup of the pasta water before draining.
- While the pasta cooks, melt the butter in a wide pan over fairly high heat. Add the mushrooms in a single layer, without crowding the pan, and leave them mostly undisturbed for a few minutes until they start to brown — resist the urge to stir too soon.
- Once browned, add the shallot and garlic, and cook for another 2 minutes until softened.
- Pour in the wine, if using, and let it bubble down for a minute. Add the cream and thyme, and simmer gently for 3–4 minutes until it thickens slightly.
- Stir in the grated cheese, then toss the drained pasta through the sauce, loosening with a splash of the reserved pasta water until it coats everything glossily.
- Season generously with black pepper and serve immediately, with more cheese grated over the top.
Let the mushrooms actually brown before you touch them. A crowded, stirred pan just steams them, and you lose everything good about the texture.
Notes
If you've got dried mushrooms on hand, a small handful soaked in the wine before you start adds real depth — just strain the soaking liquid through a fine sieve first, in case of grit, and use it in place of plain wine.