FOODIE WEEKEND - Pasta alla Boscaiola

Hello, everyone!  It's Foodie Weekend, again!  I am sure some of you would go "No, not again!" but still I am hopeful that some would be like "Yay!"

I love food, period.  I love food so much that eating has always been in my top agenda when travelling.  When the word chilling out with friends pops up in my mind, food will always be in that picture!  The thing is as I grow older, the effect of food is not always good on me.  The equation now has to be Food + More Food = Lots of jumping around trying to burn the calories!  But still at the end of the day, this will never take away my love for good food.  

Ok, enough blabbering these incoherent words, it is time to talk about the recipe for this week, Pasta alla Boscaiola.  According to Captain, my Italian food 'maestro' (I bet he loves this title!) 'boscaiola' means lumberjack.  Apparently this recipe is famous among the lumberjacks as it uses the ingredients easily found in the wood; you know mushroom, beans, cream.. that is if there is a Carrefour or Whole Food Market in that wood I suppose (duh?)

But whatever it is, this recipe is good, simple and if you (or me) are clever enough to use the correct ingredients, no visit to the gym is required afterwards!  

Pasta Alla Boscaiola

Ingredients (serves 4)

500 gms of pasta of your choice (best for this recipe is farfalle or penne, I use penne)

2 cups of sliced mushroom (which ever type you like but preferably the button type)

2 cups of green peas

2 cloves of garlic bruised

1/2 a cup of chopped flat leaves parsley

180 - 200 ml of low fat cooking cream

Some extra virgin olive oil

Some ground black pepper and salt for seasoning

Method

In a salted rolling boiling water, add the pasta and time according to the cooking time.  Remember, pasta should be al-dente or slightly chewy, not soft.

In a skillet/pan, heat about 1/4 cup of extra virgin olive oil

Add the garlic to the pan and saute the garlic until fragrance but be careful not to burn it

Add in the mushroom and stir until soft

Add in the peas and season with a bit of ground black pepper

Stir for about a minute or two, then add in the cream

Continue stirring occasionally until bubbling

Season with salt and pepper and a drizzle of extra virgin olive oil

Finally add in the chopped fresh parsley.

When the pasta is cooked to al dente, drain the water and pour the cooked pasta into the pan/skillet of sauce.

Add the parmesan cheese and mix well.

Serve immediately

Buon Apettito and enjoy your pasta!