Lemony Mushroom Alfredo Mac and Cheese
Recipe by Local Roots recipe contributor, Chef Casey Corn @casey_corn
The first recipe I ever developed and perfected was a lemony alfredo sauce...and to this day it's still one of my favorites. The beautiful cremini mushrooms from Local Roots inspired me to update this recipe, not only adding in the delicious umami flavor from the mushrooms, but also turning it into my favorite thing ever...mac and cheese. It serves 4-6, but you're not going to want to share.
Ingredients:
1 lb linguine or fettuccine
1 lb cremini mushrooms
½ c unsalted or cultured butter
½ c all purpose flour
2 c heavy whipping cream
3 c grated parmesan
1 tsp kosher salt
¼ tsp ground white pepper
¼ c grated mozzarella (optional)
zest of one lemon
Directions:
1. Bring a pot of heavily salted water to a boil. Cook pasta to package instructions, and before draining, reserve 1 cup of pasta water.
2. Separate the mushroom caps from the stems, and reserve stems for stock, or something else. Finely dice the mushroom caps.
3. Heat a large saute pan over medium heat, and when hot, add diced mushrooms. Dry fry the mushrooms. Because of the quantity of mushrooms, they may release a lot of water, making the mushrooms boil instead of fry. Just turn up the heat until all liquid has boiled off, stirring to keep them from sticking to the pan.
4. When all the liquid has boiled off, lower the heat and add in the butter. Let the butter melt into the mushrooms, then season with salt and pepper. Add in flour, and cook until the mixture thickens, about 3-5 minutes. Keep an eye on the temperature so that the butter doesn’t brown.
5. Add in pasta water and heavy cream, and whisk to combine. Bring the temperature up a little to medium, and whisk occasionally, allowing sauce to thicken. Stir in the lemon zest. Turn off heat and whisk in 2½ cups of the parmesan.
6. Toss the noodles into the sauce until very well combined. Sprinkle the top with the remaining parmesan, and mozzarella if using. Place under a high broiler until golden on top, then serve!
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