Saveur

View Gallery Photo: William Abranowicz

SERVES 2 – 4

Here's a secret: Because of their concentrated flavor, you only need a few dried morels and the water they soak in to perfume an entire sauce.

4 dried morels
1 small onion, finely chopped
2 cloves garlic
2 tbsp. olive oil
1⁄2 lb. domestic mushrooms, sliced
1⁄2 lb. pasta
Italian parsley, chopped
Salt and pepper

1. Steep dried morels in 1 cup boiling water. Meanwhile, in a large sauté pan, brown onions and garlic in oil. When the garlic is golden, remove and discard.

2. Add sliced mushrooms to pan and sauté until tender.

3. Cook pasta in a large pot of boiling salted water.

4. Add morels and their liquor to sliced mushrooms and simmer for 3 minutes. Add a handful of chopped Italian parsley. When pasta is almost cooked, transfer it, along with 1⁄2 cup of the pasta cooking water, into the mushroom pan. Cover and simmer an additional 3 minutes. Season with salt and pepper.

This article was first published in Saveur in Issue #1