Mushroom and Spinach Marsala Pappardelle
(Courtesy of Rachael Ray, changed up a bit by me)
1 lb pappardelle or fettuccine pasta (I couldn't find pappardelle, so I used extra wide egg noodles)
1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
2 pounds cremini mushrooms, sliced (regular mushrooms would work if these aren't available)
4 cloves garlic, minced
1 small onion, diced
2 bay leaves
A pinch of nutmeg
3/4 cup marsala wine
1 cup vegetable (or chicken) stock
1 1/4 cups heavy cream
2 Tbsp butter
A handful of chopped fresh parsley
1 bag of baby spinach, coarsely chopped
1 1/2 cups grated parmesan cheese
1/2 - 1 tsp of red pepper flakes (depending on how much heat you want)
Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Salt it, add pasta and cook until al dente. Drain
While the pasta is cooking, prepare the sauce.
In a large, deep skillet heat the olive oil over medium high heat. Add the onion and garlic. Cook for about 30 seconds to flavor the oil and then add the mushrooms and bay leaves. Cook until the mushrooms release all their liquid and the liquid is gone and the mushrooms start to brown. (about 8 minutes). Season with salt and pepper. Add the spinach a couple of handfuls at a time. Add more when the previous additions have wilted down. Season with nutmeg. Once all the spinach is wilted down, add the marsala and cook until slightly reduced (about 1 minute). Add the vegetable stock and cook for about another minute. Stir in the butter until melted. Add the cream and heat until warm. Add the parsley and cheese and pour over noodles. Add pepper flakes. If it needs more salt and pepper, season to taste.
If the sauce is still too runny, let it simmer with the noodles while stirring occasionally until it thickens and coats the noodles.
