A white oven proof dish of a baked pasta dish with melted cheese on the top

Pappardelle Pie with Wild Mushrooms and Taleggio

20 minutes

Serves 6. Scroll to the bottom of the Method to see questions Lindsey has answered on this recipe

Vegetarian

This recipe is from Delia's Happy Christmas.

This is exquisite and pappardelle which are wide flat ribbons work well but any dried pasta can be used.

If you want to make this a true vegetarian dish you can buy a vegetarian 'Parmesan style' cheese from Bookham and Harrison Farms Ltd.

The Delia Online Cookery School: Watch how to prepare garlic in our video. Just click the image to play.

Got a question on Delia's recipes? Ask Lindsey

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About the Pappardelle Pie

Asked by: Simon01

Hello Lindsey. I'm trying out some of Deia's meat free dishes prior to the Christmas jollies and I did the Pappaedelle Pie with wild mushrooms and taleggio. The Marsala I have in my wine stock is the sweet variety which I would normally use in desserts, eg syllabub. Is it ok to use in this recipe or do I need to looik for a dry one OR can I use a dry Madeira. Also what can I sub for the non-alcoholic fraternity? Thank you. Eileen PS Only just noticed, in the recipe of the day, the inclusion of queries. Great move. Love it.

Answered by Lindsey: Hello Eileen, You can use sweet or dry Marsala. I’d use stock to replace it if you want to omit the alcohol. Noreen has added my previous ‘Ask Lindsey’ answers to relevant recipes. She is a star! Kind regards Lindsey

Freezing Pappardelle Pie with Wild Mushrooms and Taleggio

Asked by: Jackie Poluck

I want to make Pappardelle Pie with Wild Mushrooms and Taleggio for my vegetarian daughter on Boxing Day. I will be busy making dinner for 16 so would like to make this in advance and freeze it. The recipe says it can be made in advance but does not mention freezing. is this possible and if so, should it be cooked from frozen or defrosted and how long will it need to cook?

Answered by Lindsey: Hello, We haven’t tested this recipe for the freezer. However I do think it will be fine to freeze it. I would refresh the freshly cooked pasta in plenty of cold water and then drain it well and also leave the béchamel until it’s warm instead of hot before you mix the pasta with the 2/3 s of sauce, mushrooms and cheese. Then put into the dish / dishes and top with the remaining sauce, the cheese and oil. I would defrost overnight in the fridge. Then if it’s the large dish give it 40 minutes but if it’s individual – probably 25 minutes. Kind regards Lindsey

Method

Begin by placing the porcini (broken into pieces) in a small saucepan, add the Marsala, bring up to simmering point, then take it off the heat and put on a timer for the porcini to soak for 30 minutes.

Meanwhile, peel and chop the onion and the same with the garlic. Then heat 2 tablespoons of olive oil in a wide shallow pan, add the onions and let them cook over a lowish heat for about 10 minutes. You can also watch how to prepare garlic in our Cookery School Video on this page. While that’s happening, chop the chestnut mushrooms (through the stalk) into quarters and the larger mushrooms into six. After that add the garlic to the onion and cook, stirring it around, for a minute or two before adding the prepared fresh mushrooms. Stir and toss them around until they start to shrink, add some seasoning and let them cook very gently. Then, when the 30 minutes’ soaking time is up, add the porcini and Marsala and do some more tossing and stirring.

Continue to cook with the heat at medium for about 30–40 minutes, or until all the juices (of which there will be quite a lot) have evaporated. It could take a bit longer, but this will concentrate the flavour of the mushrooms beautifully.

Put a large pan of water on to boil and preheat the oven to 200°C. Gas mark 6.

Meanwhile, make an all-in-one béchamel sauce by placing the milk, butter and flour in a saucepan, then whisking over a medium heat until you have a smooth, thick sauce. Then turn the heat to its lowest and cook for 5 minutes, adding some seasoning and the nutmeg. At the end whisk in 2 tablespoons of double cream. When the mushrooms are ready, cook the pasta in the boiling water for 8 minutes, then drain it in a colander. Return it to the saucepan, add two-thirds of the sauce, along with the mushrooms and cubes of Taleggio. Now pile the whole lot into the baking dish, cover the pasta with the rest of the sauce and finally sprinkle with the Parmesan and drizzle with a little olive oil. Bake in a preheated oven for 20 minutes until golden brown.

This can all be prepared in advance, but in that case it will need 30–40 minutes in the oven. Either way, when it is removed from the oven, allow it to settle for 10 minutes before serving on hot pasta dishes.