Pasta Casarecce with Chantarelle Mushrooms

Total time: 25 minutes

What You Need

1/2 lb chantarelle

250 g = 2 cups uncooked casarecce or alternatively farfalle or rigatoni

1/2 cup heavy cream

3 tsp butter3 cloves garlic, minced

2 shallots, thinly cubed

1/3 orange peel

1 orange, pressed to juice (roughly 1/2 cup)

1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon fresh pepper

1/8 cup almond slices

Freshly grated parmesan

How It's Done

1. Start heating a large pot with water, add 1/2 teaspoon of salt.
2. While the water is heating up, cut the garlic and onions. Gently clean the chantarelle by rubbing any dirt of them, you can basically use them as is and need to simply cut them into nice pieces. Grate 1/3 of the orange peel, then press the orange for its juice. 
3. Once the water is boiling, add the pasta and cook according to their package instructions minus 1 minute less, because you want them a bit more uncooked than "al dente". (Standard cooking time for Casarecce would be 10 minutes.)
4. Heat a large pan and melt the butter. Turn the heat to low and add the garlic, onions and chantarelle. Stir and let simmer for about 3 minutes.
5. Add the orange peel, stir.
6. Deglace with the cream and increase heat for 1 minute, then turn low again and add the orange juice.
7. Season with salt, pepper and cayenne pepper.
8. Now the pasta should be ready to get strained into a colander.
9. Add the strained pasta to the pan and mix with the sauce. Let simmer for 1 or 2 minutes.
10. In the meantime brown the almonds in a non-stick pan.
11. Divide the pasta onto two plates and decorate with the almonds. Serve with freshly grated parmesan and more salt and pepper to taste.

Guten Appetit!
-- Elke♥