The Busy Gourmand

This recipe combines two recipes I found using bucatini, one relied on wild mushrooms, and the other primarily relied on blue cheese.  They both sounded good so I took the main ingredient from each and gave it my own spin.  It is a very satisfying dish and surprisingly not extremely heavy. 

• 1/2 pound bucatini, or spaghetti
• 1/2 red onion diced
• 4 oz wild mushrooms, shiitake, morels, chanterelles, porcini
• 3 cloves garlic diced
• 1/2 cup frozen peas
• 4 oz blue cheese crumbled, Gorgonzola recommended
• 1/4 cup chicken broth
• 1/4 cup heavy cream, or half and half
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1 tablespoon unsalted butter
• kosher salt and black pepper

Place the bucatini in a large pot of salted boiling water and cook according to package directions (usually 8 to 10 minutes).

In a saute pan heat the olive oil and butter over medium high heat.  Once the butter starts to foam add the onion and saute for 2 minutes.  Add the mushrooms and saute 2 more minutes.  Add the garlic and saute for 2 more minutes.  Add the chicken stock and allow to reduce by half (just a few minutes).  Add the cream and allow to reduce so that sauce sticks to the back of a spoon (an additional few minutes.)  Adjust the sauce for salt and pepper.  Add the peas just to heat through.

Drain the bucatini in a colander.  Return the bucatini to the pot and add the blue cheese.  Pour the sauce over the pasta and toss.  Serve immediately as the blue cheese will begin to melt.  Much of the mushroom and pea mixture will fall to the bottom of the pot so reallocate evenly to the servings. 

This will make 2 very large entree portions of pasta or 4 primi piatti (first course) portions.