PROCESS:
Slice morel mushrooms in half and soak in lightly salted water to remove dirt and bugs. Drain on paper towels.
Heat a skillet to medium high. Add olive oil and butter. When the olive oil and butter are hot, add onions and garlic, cook until tender.
For Gas Stove:
Remove Pan from GAS Stove add the cognac (caution: this will create a large flame).
allow edge of pan to catch the flame and cognac will ignite...
For Electric Stove:
Use long lighter to ignite cognac. (caution: this will create a large flame).
When the flames subside, add asparagus tips, morel mushrooms and season with salt and pepper.
Create a Pan sauce:
Add white wine and cook until the liquid is reduced by half. Add half a cup of whipping cream and reduce that by half. Reduce the heat to medium and slowly stir in a stick of butter, one tablespoon at a time. This is a pan sauce called beurre blanc (See recipe in sauce chapter for more insight). Add tomatoes and fresh basil. Add the pasta. Toss and pour into a serving bowl. Top with fresh grated parmesan cheese.
If you’d like to add some substance to this pasta, top it with a grilled chicken breast.
INGREDIENTS:
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 tablespoons butter
¼ cup onions, sliced thin
1 tablespoon garlic
1 oz cognac
1 cup asparagus tips, blanched
1 cup morel mushrooms, cleaned and sliced
½ cup white wine
½ cup of heavy cream
1 stick of butter (for beurre blanc)
½ cup tomatoes, chopped
2 cups campanelle pasta
6 fresh basil leaves
grated parmesan cheese
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon pepper
Grilled chicken breast (optional)