Tagliatelle ai funghi

I've been thinking about a both pretty and good noodle-dish to make for Bee and Jai's 'Click' event, and in the end I decided that 'Tagliatelle ai funghi' (Mushroom Tagliatelle) would do the trick! I still have to learn a lot about taking pictures, especially at home, where my ambiance lights are not the best at all, and I don't have any sort of small stand for the camera. In any case, this is the result!

Tagliatelle ai funghi/Mushroom tagliatelle
It's a very quick and simple and yet delicious dish to make. Buy some good mushrooms and you're basically done. I used these really good 'portabella' mushrooms:
To make enough sauce for a box of tagliatelle (1 lb), you'll need to double the amount you see in this picture (so about 4 big mushrooms). Then, you'll need a small bunch of parseley, two cloves of garlic and, if possible, some 'panna da cucina'. It's possible to find in the US, although not too easy. Here is how it looks like:
'Panna da cucina' means 'Cream for cooking'. It's indeed cream, but less fatty than heavy cream, and I don't think you could whip it. So, if you don't find it, substitute with half heavy cream and half low-fat sour cream.
To prepare the pasta: bring a large pot of water to boil, and in the meanwhile, wash and cut the mushrooms. Mince the garlic cloves and sautee them in 2 tbsp olive oil for ~30 sec, then add all the mushroom pieces. Add ~1 tbsp salt. Sautee, uncovered, for ~10 min, then cover and keep cooking. When the water boils, add salt (~1 tbsp coarse salt), 1 tsp olive oil, and then throw the pasta in. Mix up so it doesn't stick. Cover, making sure it keeps boiling but it doesn't overflow. Check the mushrooms. If they are tender (depends on how big your pieces were, it should take about 15 minutes total), add chopped parseley, sautee some more, and then add the panna. I used ~1/2 cup. You can add more or less depending on how creamy you like it. You can even go without and use more olive oil. Taste to check that the salt is ok. When the pasta is cooked, drain and pour into the mushroom mixture, sautee for 1 minute, add some black pepper grated on the spot and serve with a leave of parseley for decoration! If you want, you can add grated parmigiano cheese on top, but it doesn't need it.

So, this recipe and picture of course go to Jai and Bee for their 'Click' November event, and also to sweet Ruth for her weekly 'Presto Pasta Nights'!