New Year's Eve Pasta

I recently found the most interesting pasta at my local independent grocery store.

It's organic artisan pasta made in Puglia, Italy, and while I shudder at the fuel dollars that were spent shipping the pasta halfway around the world, I feel good supporting organic farmers and artisan pasta makers in Italy.

It was the form of the pasta that caught my eye - it was called sagne torte, and looked like long twisted fettucine. I felt it would be an excellent match with a rich mushroom sauce on New Year's Eve.

And it was. It was thick and chewy and tasty, and it absorbed the cream sauce well. It even retained some of its twists after cooking. Larry found it a little too long - it turns out it was folded in half in the package, so each strand was about 2 feet long - but I felt that made it more entertaining.

The green beans were young tender beans from McGrath farms. I used brown cremini mushrooms, but the white kind would be okay too. Make sure to use organic whipping cream. One of our basil plants is still going, and the fresh basil made a great flavor pop, but the dish will still be good without it.

This is not a health food recipe. However, it is delicious, so save it for a special occasion and drink a glass of red wine with it to help your arteries.

Happy New Year!

Creamy Pasta with Mushrooms and Green Beans
1 tbsp oil
1 onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
8 oz cremini mushrooms, thinly sliced
1/2 cup white wine
1 1/4 cups whipping cream
1/2 cup vegetable stock
8 oz green beans, trimmed and cut in two-inch pieces
12 oz fettucine
1/4 cup sun-dried tomatoes
1 egg
3 tbsp chopped fresh basil
shaved parmesan to taste

Heat the oil in a large skillet. Add the onion and garlic and cook over medium heat until soft, 3-5 minutes. Add the mushrooms and cook, stirring, another minute. Add the wine, cream and stock. Bring to a gentle simmer and cook for 10 minutes. Add the green beans a couple of minutes into the cooking time.

Cook the fettucine according to package directions. If the sun-dried tomatoes are in oil, cut them in thin strips. If they're dry, pour hot water over them and let them soften a few minutes, then drain and cut in strips.

Turn the heat under the skillet to low. Lightly beat the egg in a small bowl. Whisk in a little of the hot creamy liquid, stirring constantly. This warms the egg so it doesn't curdle when you add it to the skillet. Pour the egg mixture slowly into the skillet, stirring constantly for about a minute. Keep the heat low so it doesn't boil. Add the basil and sun-dried tomatoes. Stir gently until heated through. Season with salt and pepper to taste.

Stir sauce over the warm pasta. Garnish with shavings of parmesan.

Serves 3-4