As my trip to northern Italy draws nearer, I couldn’t resist preparing another delicious dish native to the region. It’s called Boscaiola, a name that stems from the Italian word bosco, meaning forest. This dish embodies the rustic flavors of the woods, often featuring a hearty blend of wild mushrooms, pancetta or guanciale, and sometimes sausage. These ingredients evoke the earthy essence of the forest, creating a warm, satisfying meal that feels like a true taste of northern Italy’s culinary heritage. I created this recipe using all the recommended ingredients and let me tell you, I think it’s one of the best dishes I have ever made!
You will need:
2 tbsp olive oil
3 oz guanciale pancetta finely diced
2 links of sweet Italian sauce, casing removed
8 oz baby bella mushrooms, cleaned and quartered
2 shallots, finely chopped
4 cloves garlic, minced
1 tbsp finely-chopped fresh rosemary
1/2 tsp crushed red pepper flakes
Sea Salt and freshly-cracked black pepper
1/2 cup dry white wine
1.5 cups chicken broth
1 cup crushed tomatoes
1 lb cooked thick pasta ( reserve 1/2 cup of pasta water)
1/2 cup heavy cream
Parmesan, freshly grated.
Add guanciale to cold pan and bring heat up to render. Once crisp, remove to a bowl reserving fat. Place the mushrooms into the guanciale fat and cook until crispy, remove to bowl with Guanciale . Next, add some olive oil to pan then the shallot and garlic, cook until soft, about 5 minutes. Toss in red pepper flakes and sausage, breaking up the sausage as it cooks, then add rosemary and give it a good stir. Pour in wine. Bring to a simmer, scraping up any bits from the pan then add crushed tomatoes and stock. Stir well, then add the mushrooms and guanciale. Allow to simmer for 20 minutes uncovered. Next, pour in the cream, mix well, and add the cooked pasta, adding pasta water stirring to incorporate everything. Spoon into deep pasta dishes topping with grated Parmesan.
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