Pennette alla boscaiola

To prepare the pennette alla boscaiola, start by cleaning the mushrooms. Remove any excess earth, first with a small knife 1, then with a slightly damp cloth (or a special brush) 2. Then cut them into slices around 1/4 inch (5 mm) thick 3.

Bring a pot full of water to a boil and season with salt. Meanwhile, turn to the pancetta: Slice it and then cut it into cubes of about ¼ inch (0.5 cm) 4. Warm the oil in a frying pan and fry the pancetta over high heat, stirring often 5. This will only take a few minutes; then you can set the pancetta aside 6.

Peel and chop an onion 7, then add it to the pan that you used to fry the pancetta: Let it soften 8 for a few minutes before adding the mushrooms 9. Brown for around 5 minutes, stirring every so often.

Now add the tomato purée 10 and cook over low heat for around 5-10 minutes. Once the sauce has reduced, add the pancetta you set aside 11, and then cook for 5 more minutes 12. In the meantime, start to cook the pasta, which you should drain once it’s al dente.

Keeping the heat low, finally add the cream 13 to the sauce and stir to combine 14. Chop the fresh parsley 15

and then drain the pennette and add them straight to the pan with the sauce 16. Stir the pasta into the sauce and sprinkle over the chopped parsley 17 and pepper (and salt if needed) to taste. Give the pennette alla boscaiola a couple of minutes in the pan to make it extra creamy, and then it’s ready to be served 18!