Using up those very last Thanksgiving leftovers...
When it's Thanksgiving, you have the choice of traffic or dishes. Which is to say, if you go to someone else's house, you have to drive across Staten Island. And if you cook at your house, have to clean up. I always pick the latter if I have a choice... one, because I like to cook, and two, because I get the leftovers! We took most of the leftovers to my sister's house for a second feast the Friday after Thanksgiving. And I used up the last of the turkey in a stir-fry with farro, red curry sauce and vegetables the following week. All that remained was some of the turkey broth I'd made for the gravy. I used the last of it in this delicious pasta ai funghi, which was inspired by a superb version I had in Florence last month at Ristorante La Giostra.
I used fedelio-shaped pasta that I found in the supermarket. I had hoped for the thin tagliatelle we often find in Italy, but the fedelio made a fine substitute.
Fidelio ai funghi
12 oz. package of fidelio or thin tagliatelle pasta
24 fresh sage leaves
1 lb. mixed mushrooms, such as shitaake, crimini, or white, rinsed, air dried, tough stem ends trimmed
1/2 c. olive oil
3 cloves garlic, sliced
freshly ground black pepper
1/4 c. white wine
3/4 c. turkey or chicken broth
1 generous bunch fresh parsley, chopped
2 t. truffle oil
freshly grated parmesan cheese
Set a large pot of water to boil for the pasta.
Thinly slice the shitaake mushrooms and cut those slices in half. Warm about 1 T. of the oil in a large saute pan and add the sage leaves. Saute for a few minutes over high heat until they crisp. Remove with tongs and set aside. Add the rest of the oil to the pan, and add the garlic and shitaake. Similarly slice the cremini mushrooms and add them next. Saute over high heat until the mushrooms brown slightly, about 8 minutes. Stir occasionally. Season with black pepper, and salt if desired. Reduce heat to medium. Add the wine and stir in; allow it to evaporate.
Cook the pasta. As it's cooking, add the broth to the mushroom sauce, stirring occasionally. Add the chopped parsley. Add more broth if the sauce looks dry; allow it to cook longer if there's too much liquid.
Drain the pasta and add it to the saute pan, reducing heat to low. Drizzle in the truffle oil. Mix everything together and garnish with the crumbled sage leaves. Serve h