I moved into my current Northside Chicago apartment 2 years ago on my birthday. Even though I was stressed with the task of unpacking, I managed to go to this AMAZING little Italian place called Caro Mio to celebrate turning 25. They have homemade pastas, the BEST Tiramisu I’ve ever eaten and a really great ambiance. I celebrated that year with Pappardelle Alfredo, but I’ve since started ordering their Pappardelle Con Porcini which is pasta in a red wine and cream sauce. While my recipe is absolutely nowhere near the scale at which they prepare it, this is good enough to ebb the craving when I just don’t have time to wait for a table to open up at my favorite local spot.
Ingredients:
16 oz. fettuccine – cooked until ALMOST done
16 oz. mushrooms – clean and sliced
2 Tbsp. butter
1 Tbsp. olive oil
1 Tbsp. chopped garlic
1/2 cup red wine
3/4 cup beef broth
1/2 cup heavy cream
1 tsp. thyme
Parmesan cheese
Salt
Pepper
Boil your pasta according to package. You’ll want it just barely done because it will continue cooking in the sauce.
In a large skillet, add the butter and olive oil. Cook over medium heat until it starts to foam.
Add your mushrooms and garlic. I used white button mushrooms and cremini, sliced.
Sautee your mushrooms until they are to your desired softness, I like mine pretty well done. Add your salt and pepper and thyme.
Pour in your red wine and cook until it has reduced by half.
Add your beef broth and let simmer on medium until it has reduced again by about half.
Stir in your heavy cream.
Add your cooked pasta and let simmer until the pasta has absorbed some of the sauce and is cooked through.
Top with Parmesan cheese and tell yourself it’s ALMOST as good as going out to eat!
Recipe looks delicious! Looking to replicate the Pappardelle Con Porcini recipe from Caro Mio, one of the best dishes my girlfriend has ever had, and that I managed to snag a couple bites of on our first visit to the restaurant the week before moving from Chicago. Here in Santa Fe, we’ve gathered plenty of porcini, thank you summer monsoon, but haven’t found a good way to cook them yet. Have you managed this recipe with dried porcini?
Thanks!
Hi Erik, I am actually about to move away from Chicago as well and am hoping to get one last taste of Caro Mio before I go!
I haven’t ever used dried porcini but I’ve seen a lot of dried mushrooms used in recipes and they just soak them in hot water (not oil, or anything) for about 30 minutes. You will want to drain them before adding them to your recipe. I think you’ll want to use twice the amount of water as the mushrooms (eg. 1 cup water for 1/2 cup mushrooms). I hope this helps! Let me know if you give it a try :)
NOMMMM!!! I can’t wait to try this :) I love how easy all of your recipes are! and I MUST start experimenting with some of your mouth watering cocktails!