Creamy Button Mushroom Pasta with homemade vegetable stock – Pareve version

👨‍🍳 Method

For the Cooked pasta

1. 1
   Cook the pasta in plenty of boiling salted water (4¼ cups of water and a heaping teaspoon of salt for every 4 oz of pasta), following the package directions (taste about 2 minutes early), until al dente.

   StovePot

   💡The water should taste like a seasoned soup, not like sea water: a heaping teaspoon of salt per liter. Add the salt once the water is boiling.
2. 2
   Reserve cup of the cooking water before draining.

   LadleorMeasuring cup

   💡The cooking water is starchy: a spoonful or two binds the sauce to the pasta or the gnocchi and makes it glossy.
3. 3
   Drain.

   Colander

For the Fried onion

1. 4
   Heat the olive oil in a wide pan over medium heat.

   StoveFrying pan
2. 5
   Add the onion and fry 5–8 minutes, stirring now and then, until the onion is soft and translucent and starts to turn golden at the edges. If it browns too fast, lower the heat.

   Stove

   💡Add by cooking time: what needs long (onion, carrot, meat) goes in first, and what burns fast (garlic, dry spices) goes in last, only until fragrant.
3. 6
   Add the garlic and fry about 30 seconds to 1 minute, just until fragrant. Don't let the garlic brown.

   Stove

   💡Garlic burns quickly and turns bitter. Add it only after the onion has softened, over medium heat, and add the next ingredient as soon as it smells fragrant.

To assemble

1. 7
   Add the mushrooms and fry 5–7 minutes, stirring, until they are golden.

   Stove
2. 8
   Put the onion, carrot, celery, parsley, garlic, bay leaves and thyme in a large pot with the cold water.

   Large pot

   💡Start with cold water: the vegetables release their flavor slowly as the water heats up.
3. 9
   Bring to a boil over high heat and skim off the foam.

   Stove
4. 10
   Turn down to medium-low heat and simmer uncovered 30–45 minutes.

   Stove

   💡A gentle simmer, not a boil: a hard boil dries the food out and clouds it, a slow simmer cooks it evenly.
5. 11
   Strain the stock through a fine sieve.

   Fine sieve
6. 12
   Add the stock and cream and bring to a gentle boil. Turn down the heat and simmer 3–4 minutes, until the sauce thickens slightly.

   Stove

   💡Reduce cream at a gentle bubble, not a hard boil: a few minutes is enough for it to thicken, and loosen a sauce that got too thick with a spoonful of pasta water.
7. 13
   Add the drained pasta and a little of the cooking water, season with salt and black pepper and toss for about a minute over low heat, until the sauce clings to the pasta.

   Stove
8. 14
   Add the Parmesan and stir, until it melts and the sauce is smooth.
9. 15
   Sprinkle the parsley on top and serve immediately.