Recipe
Rigatoni with tofu and mushrooms
Words & Photography by Sara Castiglioni
It was my husband who first introduced me to wild mushrooms. Having only ever eaten mushrooms bought from the supermarket, I immediately fell in love with the wild flavours from the very first bite.
In this recipe I used pioppini mushrooms, which are fairly easy to recognise. If you are lucky enough to forage your own, you’ll taste the scent of the autumnal woods in your rigatoni.
Please be very careful when picking wild mushrooms – some species are deadly. If you’re unsure, do not eat them.
Ingredients
320g of wholegrain spelled rigatoni
500g of mushrooms (I used pioppini, but you can use every kind of mushroom like pore mushroom or champignon)
200g of tofu
1 clove of garlic
extra virgin olive oil
a tablespoon of miso
Method
Clean the wild mushrooms and cut off the filaments to the base. Cook mushrooms in a pan with a little extra virgin olive oil, a clove of garlic and a pinch of salt for about 10 – 15 minutes (It depends on the size of mushrooms – larger mushrooms will need longer). Meanwhile make the tofu by boiling for 10 minutes in lightly salted water, then drain. When the mushrooms are cooked, add a few to the tofu and grind them together to create a creamy consistency.
Bring a pan of salted water to the boil and cook the rigatoni. Once drained, mix the rigatoni with the tofu “cream” and the remaining mushrooms. Add a tablespoon of miso to add extra flavour to the dish (do this right at the end of the cooking process to preserve its rich nutritional qualities). Finish with a little olive oil and serve with a fresh blond beer. Enjoy your meal!
