Yellow & Green Noodles with Cream, Ham & Mushroom Sauce

By Howie

Ingredients

• 3/4 lb crisp white mushrooms
• 2 tb shallots or yellow onion, finely chopped
• 6 tb butter
• salt
• fresh ground pepper
• 6 oz unsmoked ham, shredded
• 3/4 cup heavy whipping cream
• 1/2 cup parmesan, freshly grated
• Fettucine (made with 2 eggs, 1 1/2 cups all purpose flour)
• Spinach pasta, cut into fettucine

Details

Servings 4

Preparation

Step 1

1) Slice off the ends of the mushroom stems. Wipe the mushrooms clean with a damp cloth. If there are still traces of soil, wash very rapidly in cold running water and dry thoroughly with a towel. Dice into 1/4 inch cubes and set aside.

2) Choose a skillet that can later accomodate the mushrooms loosely. Put in the chopped shallots and half the butter and saute over medium heat until the shallots have turned pale gold in colour. Turn up the heat up to high and add diced mushrooms. When the mushrooms have absorbed all the butter, briefly turn heat down to low, add 1 tsp salt and pepper and shake pan. As soon as mushroom juices come to surface, turn heat up to high and cook for 3 minutes. Turn heat down to medium, add ham, and cook for less than a minute. Add half the heavy cream and cook just long enough for cream to thicken slightly. Turn off heat and set aside.

3) Choose an enameled iron pan or flameproof serving dish that can later accomodate all the noodles. Put rest of butter and cream in and turn heat to low. When melted and mixed together, turn off heat.

4) Spinach pasta cooks faster than yellow pasta so boil in seperate pots. Bring 4 quarts of salted water in each to boil. Drop in yellow noodles first. Immediately after drop spinach noodles in another pot. Taste spinach noodles for doneness 5 seconds or so after water returns to a boil. They should be quite, quite firm because they will continue to cook with the sauce. Drain well and transfer to the waiting pan. Immediately after, drain the yellow noodles and transfer to same pan.

5) Turn on heat to low and start tossing noodles, coating them with butter and cream. Add half the mushroom sauce, mixing it well with the noodles. Add grated cheese and mix for less than a minute. Turn off heat. Make slight depression in center of the mound of noodles and pour in the rest of the mushroom sauce. Serve immediately, with a bowl of additional grated cheese on side.