Pasta with Sausage and Mushroom Ragu

We checked out the new Milk Street cookbook, Tuesday Nights Mediterranean and we're really enjoying it.  For this recipe I used dried shiitake mushrooms because I had those on hand, and it was delish.  But feel free to get porcinis if you prefer.  It called for 12 oz. of pasta but I used about 18 oz and it was great. They recommend using turkey or chicken Italian sausage, but we had regular pork Italian sausage on hand so we used that.  We also didn't have fresh basil so I just sprinkled some dried basil on top.

Pasta with Sausage and Mushroom Ragu

12 oz. dried pappardelle or tagliatelle pasta
Kosher slat and ground black pepper
3 Tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
1 pound Italian sausage, casings removed 
1 medium yellow onion, finely chopped
1 medium carrot, peeled and finely chopped
2 medium garlic cloves, chopped
1 ounce dried porcini mushrooms, broken into small  pieces, rinsed and drained
1 C. chicken broth
1/4 C. heavy cream
1/2 C. finely grated parmesan cheese, plus more for serving
1/2 C. lightly packed fresh basil, roughly chopped.

*Don't forget to break the porcini mushrooms into small pieces BEFORE rinsing.

In a large pot, bring 4 quarts water to a boil.  add the pasta and 2 tablespoons salt and cook, stirring occasionally, until al dente.  Reserve 1 1/2 cups of the pasta cooking water, then drain and return the pasta to the pot.  Toss with 1 tablespoon of oil; set aside.

Meanwhile, in a 12-inch skillet over medium-high heat, heat the remaining 2 tablespoons oil until shimmering.  Add the sausage and cook, breaking it into small bits, until no longer pink, 3 to 5 minutes.  Add the onion, carrot, garlic, 1 teaspoon salt and 1/2 teaspoon pepper.  Cook, stirring occasionally, until the mixture is lightly browned, 5 to 8 minutes.  Stir in the mushrooms, then add the broth and scrape up any browned bits.  Add 1 cup of the reserved pasta water and cook, stirring occasionally, until the sauce is slightly thickened, 4 to 5 minutes.   Add the cream and cook, stirring, for about 1  minute.

Pour the sauce over the pasta and add the Parmesan.  Cook over medium, stirring often, until the sauce clings to the pasta, about 2 minutes; add reserved pasta water 2 tablespoons at a time if needed so the sauce coats the noodles.  Taste and season with salt and pepper.  serve sprinkled with the basil and additional Parmesan.  

Recipe altered slightly from Milk Street Tuesday Nights Mediterranean cookbook