Pappardelle with a Mushroom Ragu

I was looking for something different, but still delicious to make on Mother's Day. This did not dissapoint me, and so I happily share it with you! 

Ingredients: 

Mushrooms:

2 large portobello mushrooms 

6-8 shiitake mushrooms 

10 crimini mushrooms/1 box 

1 1/2 lb of fresh pappardelle pasta 

2 cups of vegetable/chicken broth

1 medium onion, diced 

4 cloves of garlic, diced 

1 tbsp of thyme 

1 pinch of red pepper flakes 

1 tsp salt 

1 tsp pepper 

Extra Virgin olive oil (around 4 tbsp)

2-3 Slices of yellow and/or red tomato

5-6 cherry tomatos

Feta, crumbled 

Tip: 

When cookin with mushrooms, never wash them. This will pull all of the water out. Take a damp paper towel and gently clean each cap individualy. Don't clean the folds of the inside of the portobello they are very fragile. Also, don't cut the entire stem off the mushrooms, just the base of the bottom. 

From left to right- crimini (baby Bella), portobello, and shiitake. 

Instructions:

1. Prepare all of your ingredients. Dice the garlic, onion and mushrooms. Measure out your dry and wet ingredients. Set aside.

2. Heat the olive oil in a large shallow saucepan. Add your onion and garlic and cook for 2-3 minutes or until golden. 

3. Add in your mushrooms, keeping it on high heat. This step is to remove all the water from the mushrooms. Add the thyme, pepper flakes, salt and pepper. Mix well for about 6-8 minutes. 

4. Lower your heat to medium, and add in the 2 cups of broth. Here is where you can add in the tomatos if you choose to add them in. Leave to cook uncovered, until the broth is reduced by half. If you want a slightly thicker Ragu, add in 4 tbsp of flour, mixing well so it doesn't clump. 

5. While the Ragu is cooking, boil the water for the pasta. The trick with fresh pasta is having a large pot of well salted water so the pasta doesn't stick to each other. 4-6 quarts of boiling water, with 2 tbsp of salt should be good. Depending on the size of your pot, you may have to cook it in two batches. Do not change the water between batches, just scoop them out when they are done, and add in your second batch. 

6. When the pasta is done, drizzle with oil to keep for sticking. Add a ladle of the Ragu to the pasta and mix well. Then pour the rest of the Ragu on top of the pasta.  Sprinkle with crumbled feta. 

Enjoy!