Leek and Oyster Mushroom Pasta
What wonderful wallpaper. [Photo Credit: Alex Paternostro]
by Seth and Alex Paternostro
February 23, 2022
Piggy lowered his trotter and continued along the highway. With no more crumpled cans nor burger boxes to snag a toe on, he was grateful for those hardworking prisoners. As the sun began to set, shadows grew behind his quiet steps. Passing cars sped one after the other, and Piggy kept an eye out for the aberrant and intoxicated among them. He watched as a curious wagon slowed beside him. The old Country Squire stopped, and Piggy did, too. Unsure of who sat behind the glass, he did what any good pig would do—he stood tall and smiled.
“Oh, look at him,” Benno exclaimed as he hopped out of the car, “He’s so happy. Let’s bring him home!”
Nonna Rossa exited the driver’s seat. She leaned over the hood of the car and put on her glasses.
“What are we going to do with a pig?” she asked, looking the animal over. Clean and well-mannered, the plump porker had walked up to Benno and begun nudging him fondly.
“Raise him,” Benno replied, then petted the pig’s head, “He’s so friendly.”
Piggy rolled over onto his back and wiggled his feet in the air. He was enjoying entertaining these humans. They seemed nice.
“He’s already fully grown.”
“Yes he is. He’s huge,” Benno said, shaking the pig’s jowls, “But that doesn’t mean he can’t be a part of the family.”
Nonna Rossa chuckled at the sight of her husband’s round face pressed against the pig’s as the two grinned towards her.
“Does he have any tags on him?”
“Nope!”
“Will you take care of him?”
“Like a really fat baby.”
“Hmm. I just want to make sure that we are not stealing a pig. What would the farmer do? Plus, if he ran away, someone might come looking for him.”
“He’s old enough to make his own decisions, so let’s see what he has to say,” said Benno thoughtfully and turned his head, “Do you want to join us?”
Piggy thought about the question. Having just left the farm, was he ready to settle down again so soon? Hmm. These folks appeared good-hearted, though, and they would probably feed him, too…He nodded.
Benno put his arms victoriously into the air and declared, “He said yes! We’re bringing you home.”
Nonna Rossa sighed, “Okay, so what are we going to call him?”
“Oink.”
“Piggy,” Benno said.
He was overjoyed and leaned over to lift up the 800 lb pig. Nonna Rossa lowered the Magic Door-gate, Benno’s muscles bulged, and Piggy was soon three feet in the air. Short steps brought the pair to the back of the car, where Benno placed Piggy gently into the trunk. The rear tires slumped slightly, and Benno closed the hatch.
After Nonna Rossa and her husband had closed the doors and buckled their seatbelts, they noted how comfortable Piggy looked. He was resting on the plaid blanket that Nonna Rossa had laid out after flipping the passenger seats flat. Their new friend must have been tired because he soon fell asleep. Nonna Rossa started the car, and by smooth turns, the wheels got rolling faster and faster and faded with nightfall.
Click! the car announced, and Piggy awoke to an open trunk. Columns of slow-moving clouds were shaking silver sheets of moonlight over a quiet alley. Above the cobblestones, Benno waved and waited patiently. A yawn, a flutter of his eyes, and Piggy was ready to hop out. As his trotters clopped down, the car rocked and lifted up. Nonna Rossa finishing parking in the garage while Benno guided Piggy past a tall wooden fence into a quaint backyard. Strings of large, incandescent bulbs blanketed the skies.
“What do you think, Piggy? We’re going to have a good time together, huh?” Benno asked, patting him on the back.
“Oink,” Piggy replied as he took in the warm sights.
Grapevines outlined the gate through which he had entered, and the tops of carrots stuck out along the fence. So did radishes, chilies, beans, and all manner of greens. There were lettuce heads, glistening and red, cherry tomatoes and herbs to spare. Piggy walked deeper in. By slow, steady steps, he watched this beautiful garden become more and more as further treasures appeared. There, blueberries and blackberries thrived. Here, raspberry and blooming bushes painted the garage. In one corner of the yard, sunflowers stood guard. In another, funny triplets even gave each other branching company by way of apple, peach, and pear. Piggy turned around and smiled.
“Sure is something,” Benno agreed.
“You must be getting hungry,” Nonna Rossa said, closing the door to the garage. Benno nodded.
“Ah, let me get you something,” she said to Piggy and crossed the grass. After a moment, Benno sat down next to Piggy.
“You know,” he said, “it’s been just Nonna Rossa and me around here, lately. Our son, he, uh, doesn’t garden much, and he’s never really around anymore. When he was little, he would water the plants with me and ask questions about them,” he sighed.
“It’ll be nice to have some new company around these parts. Besides the plants, of course,” Benno continued, tapping a nearby cabbage.
“Oink,” Piggy replied.
“You see what I mean, I think,” and Benno got up from the ground to hold the door open for Nonna Rossa, who was carrying three heaping bowls of pasta.
“We’ll have to figure out what kinds of food you like, but here’s a quick welcome meal to start with,” she told him.
Before Piggy could dig into the steaming leek and mushrooms on top, Benno ran into the garage. He came out and lit a sparkler, shaking it softly.
“Woo-hoo, Piggy, you’re home.”
Serves 4
Total time
25 minutes
Equipment:
cutting board, chef’s knife or cleaver, sturdy pan (preferably heavy, flat-bottomed wok), large pot, spider strainer, wooden spoons, measuring cups and spoons, tasting fork and spoon, microplane zester
Tableware:
warm shallow bowls and utensils
Ingredients
1 lb dried gemelli pasta
4 tbsps extra virgin olive oil
2 tbsps unsalted butter
1 leek
6 oz oyster mushrooms
1 sprig parsley
1 tsp soy sauce, or as needed
1 tsp white wine vinegar, or as needed
Water, as needed
Black pepper, as needed
Kosher salt, as needed
Parmigiano reggiano, as desired
Instructions
Set out all equipment, tableware, and ingredients.
Bring 4 quarts of water to a boil in a large pot, and add around two palmfuls of kosher salt. Taste the water, then adjust as desired.
Heat a large pan over medium.
Remove the green section of the leek, reserving it for stock. Quarter the white part, rinse thoroughly under running water, then roughly chop.
Tear or slice the oyster mushrooms into bite-size pieces.
Pick the parsley leaves, then finely mince.
Add the extra virgin olive oil and butter to the pan, drop in the leek, and sprinkle with a pinch each of salt and black pepper.
Stir until the leek is just starting to brown, then add the mushrooms with a pinch of salt and pepper.
When the mushrooms have softened, turn off the heat, then drizzle in the soy sauce and white wine vinegar. Taste, and adjust.
Cook the pasta until almost al dente, which can sometimes be a few minutes before the time listed on the box.
Immediately before the pasta is done, turn the heat under the other pan to high.
Use the spider to transfer the gemelli to the sauce base, then pour in ½ cup of the pasta cooking water.
Mix with two wooden spoons on high heat until the pasta is evenly coated and neither soupy nor dry.
Turn off the heat, grate over ¼ cup parmigiano reggiano, and toss once more.
Taste, and adjust with more white wine vinegar if necessary.
Divide the pasta among the warmed bowls, and garnish with the minced parsley, black pepper, and more parmigiano reggiano.
NUTRITION FACTS:
Calories 577 Total Fat 27g (35%) Saturated Fat 9g (45%) Cholesterol 110mg (37%) Sodium 242mg (11%) Total Carbohydrate 66.2g (24%) Dietary Fiber 0.8g (3%) Total Sugars 1.1g Protein 19.8g Vitamin D 8mcg (41%) Calcium 213mg (16%) Iron 5mg (25%) Potassium 309mg (7%) - Note: Please read our Nutrition Disclaimer.
Seth Paternostro is a writer and recipe developer based in Chicago. He is a co-founder of Our American Cuisine and graduated summa cum laude from Princeton University with an A.B. in East Asian Studies. You can learn more about him here.
Alex Paternostro is a writer and food photographer based in Chicago. He is a co-founder of Our American Cuisine and graduated with honors in English from Princeton University. You can learn more about him here.
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