In The Mushroomy Mood

My brain pondered, "I want mushrooms...can make pasta...cooking for friends...what to do?" Then...a flash: Mark Bittman's recipe for risotto-style pasta. He'd written his Minimalist column about it a few months ago, I was dying to try it (and happened to be making stock...), and now I had the perfect excuse.

While Bittman's recipe called for chicken, I was in a relatively meatless mood, so opted for lots of cremini mushrooms (about a pound), 1/4 cup of dried porcini mushrooms (reconstituted in warm water, which I used as well), a large clove of garlic, and a shallot. I served the pasta with some Pecorino Romano, alongside green beans with garlic and my blood orange and fennel salad. We were all pleased with my experiment, and to seal the "putting this in my regular roster" deal, the dish is even better the next day!

Hmm...speaking of leftovers...