This recipe is an attempt to replicate a delicious pasta course I once had at Tetsuya's in Sydney.
- 8 ounces thin spaghetti (I prefer De Cecco's # 11 Spaghetti)
- 3.5 ounces bunapi mushrooms, remove the fibrous base (Hokto Kinoko Company Organic is the brand most available in LA)
- 5 ounces shiitake mushrooms, stemmed and sliced thinly
- 2 cloves garlic, pressed (I like my Oxo garlic press)
- 3 tablespoons sake
- 2 ½ tablespoons mirin
- 1 ½ tablespoons low sodium soy sauce
- 1 ½ tablespoons fish sauce (as always, I prefer Red Boat)
- 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
- 2 teaspoons sesame oil
- ½ cup water from cooking the pasta
- ¼ teaspoon Better than Bouillon chicken flavor base
- ¼ teaspoon Better than Bouillon beef flavor base
- 1 tablespoon chives cut to ~¼ inch length
- ½ tablespoon chives, cut to 1 inch length
- olive oil
- salt and pepper
In a large pot, bring 4 quarts of water to a rolling boil. Add a couple of large pinches of salt. Cook spaghetti for 6 minutes, reserve ½ cup of the pasta water in a small bowl, and drain pasta and set aside.
While the reserved pasta water is still hot, add the Better than Bouillon and stir to dissolve. Combine the other liquid ingredients in a small bowl and whisk briefly to combine.
Place a 3 quart sauté pan (I love my All-Clad pan) over medium-high heat. After a couple of minutes, add a large drizzle of olive oil. As soon as it starts to shimmer, add the mushrooms. The mushrooms will exude a considerable amount of water. Allow the water to boil off, stirring frequently. Once the water has evaporated and the mushrooms begin to sizzle, reduce the heat to medium, season with salt and pepper (go light with the salt) and sauté until they have softened and begun to take on some color. Add garlic and sauté for 1 minute.
Add the sake mixture and deglaze the pan, scrapping up any brown bits. Add the bouillon mix and the short chives. Raise the heat to high, bring the sauce, and allow it to reduce for a minute or two.
Add the pasta and let it finish cooking in the sauce for a minute or two (at most) depending on how al dente you like it.
Serve in large pasta bowls, garnish with the long pieces of chives.
Tastes earthy and warming.
We drank a 2018 Tablas Creek Esprit de Tablas (Paso Robles), which is a blend of 40% Mourvèdre, 27% Syrah, 23% Grenache, and 10% Counoise. (Counties is a blending grape best known as part of the Chateauneuf-du-Pape blend.) Deep purple. Big nose of blue and black berries. On the palate, the flavor associations included blackberries, raspberries, pepper, and warm spices. Juicy and a bit jammy. Impression of sweet fruit on the finish.
