Tajarin with wild mushrooms, butter and truffle

Serves - 4

You’ll need

• 300g tajarin or very fine tagliolini
• 300g wild mushrooms, or a good mix of mushrooms, torn or sliced if large
• 40g unsalted butter
• 1 tbsp olive oil
• 1 small shallot, very finely chopped
• 1 garlic clove, finely chopped
• 50ml double cream, optional
• 30g Parmesan, finely grated, plus extra to serve
• 1 tsp truffle oil, or a few very thin shavings fresh truffle if using
• Small handful flat-leaf parsley, finely chopped
• Sea salt
• Black pepper

Method

1. Get the mushrooms going

Heat the olive oil and half the butter in a large frying pan over a medium-high heat. Add the mushrooms and cook for 6–8 minutes, stirring only now and then, until they have given up their moisture and started to colour properly. You want them golden and savoury, not pale and damp and wondering what happened.

2. Build the base

Add the shallot to the pan with a small pinch of salt and cook for 2–3 minutes until softened. Stir in the garlic and cook for another minute, just until fragrant. Lower the heat slightly so nothing catches. This wants to smell rich and promising, not aggressive.

3. Get the pasta on

While the mushrooms cook, bring a large pan of well-salted water to the boil and cook the tajarin until just al dente. It will not take long, so keep an eye on it. Before draining, save a mug of the pasta water. That little bit of forethought nearly always pays off.

4. Finish the sauce

Add the remaining butter to the mushrooms and let it melt into everything. If using the cream, pour it in now and let it bubble very gently for a minute or so. Stir in the Parmesan and a splash of the pasta water to loosen things slightly. You want a light, glossy coating for the pasta rather than a heavy sauce.

5. Bring it all together

Add the drained tajarin to the pan with most of the parsley and toss everything together gently over a low heat. Add another splash of pasta water if needed so the butter and cheese cling nicely to the strands. Finish with the truffle oil, or fold through the fresh truffle if using. A little is enough here. It should lift the dish, not take over the room.

6. Serve

Divide between warm bowls and finish with the remaining parsley, extra Parmesan and a final grind of black pepper. Serve straight away while the pasta is still glossy and the mushrooms are at their most fragrant.

A couple of helpful notes
- If you cannot get tajarin, a very fine tagliolini is the nearest and best substitute.
- A mix of mushrooms gives the nicest depth of flavour, but chestnut mushrooms with a few soaked porcini will still do a very good job.
- Go gently with the truffle oil. Too much and it starts shouting over everything else.