Pappardelle pasta with morels and mascarpone

Ingredients

1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
6 shallots, sliced
8 cloves garlic, sliced
12 spears asparagus, 1/4-inch bias cut
1/4 lb. morel mushrooms, cleaned and sliced in half, save the scraps
4 tbsp. white wine
1 tbsp. lemon juice
4 cups mushroom stock (see note)
1/2 cup mascarpone cheese
16 oz. fresh pappardelle pasta
8 sun-dried tomatoes, sliced
1 bunch fresh marjoram, chopped
Salt and pepper, to taste
1/4 cup toasted pine nuts
Freshly grated Parmesan cheese, to taste

Directions

Add olive oil to an 8-quart saucepan and turn on medium heat. When oil gets hot, but not smoking, add shallots and garlic. Reduce heat to low and let the mixture sweat for about 2 minutes or until aromatic. Add asparagus and mushrooms and continue to cook for another 2 minutes. Deglaze the pan by adding wine and lemon juice and stirring to loosen the browned bits of food on the bottom of the pan. Stir in mushroom stock and mascarpone cheese. Simmer on medium heat for about 10 minutes or until sauce coats the back of a spoon. Turn off the heat until noodles are cooked.

Meanwhile, cook pasta in seasoned boiling water until al dente. Reserve 1/4 cup of the pasta water and add to sauce with cooked pasta. Return pan to a low heat and add tomatoes, marjoram, salt and pepper. Place in a serving dish and garnish with pine nuts and Parmesan cheese.

Note: To make mushroom stock, simmer 4 cups of water with the scraps of the morels for 20 minutes and strain.

Serves 4