When mushrooms start appearing at the farmers markets, it’s time to start using them with abandon. This vegetarian pasta dish relies on their earthy notes to bring some simple egg noodles to life. Toss in some butter and a large handful of herbs and it’s hard to beat this quick weeknight meal. Use a vegetable peeler to grate large shavings of parmesan over the final dish – you’ll get a bigger hit of cheese that way (and who doesn’t want that?).

What you’ll need:

½ lb mixed fresh wild mushrooms, such as oyster, chanterelle, or maitake
1 large garlic clove (0.2 oz)
1 small bunch fresh chives (0.25 oz)
2 sprigs fresh flat-leaf parsley (1 oz)
1 lemon (4 oz)
3 tablespoons butter (1.5 oz)
½ lb dried egg pappardelle
Parmigiano-Reggiano (1 oz)
½ teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon black pepper

Equipment: zester
large skillet
large pot
colander
grater

Recipe Steps:

1. Slice mushrooms ¼ inch thick. Peel and finely chop garlic. Remove leaves from parsley stems. Chop parsley and chives. Wash, then zest and juice ½ the lemon.

2. Melt 2 tablespoons butter in a heavy skillet over medium high heat. Add mushrooms and garlic and season generously with salt and pepper. Sauté, stirring occasionally, until mushrooms are browned, 7-8 minutes. Remove from heat until pasta is done.

3. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add pasta and cook until al dente, about 4 minutes. Reserve 1 cup pasta cooking water. Drain pasta in a colander.

4. Return mushrooms to medium high heat and add pasta, remaining tablespoon butter and pasta water to pan and cook, tossing until butter is melted and pasta water is almost all absorbed, about 2 minutes.

5. Remove from the heat, add herbs, lemon zest and juice, then toss well. Season with salt and pepper.

6. Serve immediately and grate some parmesan cheese over the top of each plate.