Pasta alla Boscaiola ("Woodcutter Style")

Lumberjack style sauce is a specialty from the Italian region of Puglia. It combines mushrooms and cream, and is an excellent alternative to tomato sauces of any kind.

The sauce belongs to the rather stronger types and works with all kinds of pasta types, but best with the so-called "pasta corta" such as Penne Rigate or Ziti Corti.

The start is crucial

Also with this recipe it is a - my - rule to start with the soffritto. Any sauce that starts on this basis simply has a different depth and a better taste.

Never forget the soffritto

What about the meat

In the original recipes (as far as there is any) you will find bacon or lard as the meaty pieces. In my recipe, since I try to avoid pork, I use a beef sausage.

What about the pasta

This sauce goes very well with pasta, which can absorb sauces well. The original recipe uses penne pasta. For the gluten-free version, just use gluten-free pasta.

The sauce is of of course gluten-free.

Ingredients

For 4 persons:

500 g mushrooms usually porcini, fresh or dried. I also included pioppini

200 g sausage meat (for example beef sausage)

1 onion peeled and finely chopped

1 carrot, finely chopped

1 celery rod, finely chopped

250ml white wine

250 ml chicken or vegetable stock

250 ml cream

250 g tomato passata

3-4 teblespoons extra virgin olive oil

salt, pepper

corn starch (if needed)

Preparation

Heat the oil in a large pan.

Add the finely chopped onions, carrots and celery and brown for a few minutes over medium heat. Add a little salt so that the water escapes.

Add the sausage and fry for a few minutes.

Now add the sliced mushrooms and fry them until they start to lose liquid.

Deglaze with white wine and reduce the liquid to half.

Add the tomatoes passata ud the stock and simmer for 15 minutes.

Finally add the cream and boil it again slightly.

Season with salt and pepper if necessary.

If the sauce is too liquid, you can thicken it with some cornstarch.