Straw and Grass (Emilia-Romagna)

Pasta

Ingredients

Egg Pasta - 2 recipes

Green Pasta - 2 recipes

Garnish:

Fresh mushrooms - 1 pound

Butter - 4-6 tbsps

Garlic - 1 clove

Salt

Pork sausage meat - 1 cup

Light cream - 1 cup

Grated parmesan cheese - 3/4 cup

Prepare egg and green pastas. Roll them out thinly, leave to dry for 30 minutes, then cut them into thick or thin ribbon noodles. Leave to dry on a cloth.

Meanwhile, prepare the remaining ingredients. Clean and slice the mushrooms. Heat half the butter in a deep frying pan, add the garlic clove and saute gently until browned. Discard the garlic and add the prepared mushrooms ; sprinkle lightly with salt and saute for 10 minutes. In another pan, melt the remaining butter and fry the sausage meat until browned, crumbling it with a fork. Heat the cream in the top of a double boiler. Keep all these ingredients hot.

Bring two large pans of salted water to a boil and cook the two portions of pasta seperately until tender. If freshly made, they will be ready as soon as the water comes back to a boil. However, if using commercially made, dried pasta, follow instructions on the package. When the noodles are tender but still firm, drain them, turn them and toss them together. Dress them with the mushrooms, sausage meat, cream and grated cheese and serve immediately.

Serves 6