Pappardelle with Manila Clams and Porcini

Recipe by Zach Bell,  Executive Chef at The Lost Tree Club, Palm Beach, Florida, USA,
Image by Diana DeLucia

Serves 4           
                                    
Ingredients 

• 1 lb. high-quality Dried Egg Pappardelle, or 1½ lbs. Fresh Pappardelle
• 3-4 dz. Fresh Manila Clams purged (substitutes - Middlenecks, Littlenecks)
• 1 lb. Fresh Porcini Mushrooms
• 4 ozs. Cold Butter (cubed)
• 2 Cloves Garlic (shaved razor thin)
• Pinch Chili Flake
• 2 Shallots (finely sliced)
• ¼ cup Dry White Wine
• 1 bunch Flat Leaf Parsley
• Extra Virgin Olive Oil (as needed)
• 2 Lemons

Preparation
 
Basic Preparation
 
With a damp, no lint kitchen towel, rub the Porcini mushroom caps and stems clean. If the Porcini are very large, separate the caps from the stems.

Using a paring knife, peel the stems, saving the peelings for another use. 

Slice both the caps and stems thinly and reserve. 

Pick and chiffonade the parsley and reserve. 

Scrub and rinse the clams of any sand. 

Bring a large pot of water just to the boil. When boiling, season to taste with salt. 

Add the pasta to the water and cook until almost al dente – but will with some bite. 

Remove the pasta from the pot and spread in a thin layer over a cookie sheet, sprinkling and tossing with olive oil. 

Allow to cool at room temperature as you make the sauce.
 
Sauce 
 
In a large sauté pan, heat 2 Tbs. of olive oil over medium-high heat. 

Add the shallots, garlic, and chili flake and sauté until lightly golden and tender. 

Immediately add the clams and the dry white wine. 

Add a few ozs. of the pasta cooking liquid then cover with a lid until the clams pop open. 

Remove the clams to a plate while you finish the sauce (this ensures the clams neither overcook nor break apart the delicate mushrooms!)
 
Add the sliced porcini to the pan and allow the porcini to wilt a bit. Once the porcini is wilted, add about a half a cup of warm pasta water (the starch helps build body in the sauce) then slowly swirl in the cold butter cubes, followed by the parsley. 

Using a Microplane, zest one lemon into the sauce, then cut the lemon in half and add the juice, ensuring no seeds get into the sauce. 

Season to taste with salt and pepper 
 
Assembly

Add the clams back to the sauce. Toss in the pasta with the sauce, then divide both the pasta and clams sauce evenly between four bowls. 

Serve immediately.