Pasta with Wild Mushrooms, Truffle Oil,Ricotta Cheese and Leeks Inspired by Melinda Clarke’s favorite pasta dish, recreated by Mario Batali “I first tried this dish 15 years ago dining out with friends at a wonderful restaurant in Los Angeles. I love the dish so much because it was the first time I was introduced to truffles.”

Prep Time: 25 min.

Cook Time: 45 min.

Yield: 4 servings

Ingredients:

7 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

1 pound mixed mushrooms, oyster mushrooms,

portobellos and chanterelles are ideal, cut into

1⁄2-inch pieces

1⁄2 onion, chopped

2 leeks, washed and trimmed (white part only)

and cut into 1⁄4-inch rounds

3 cloves peeled garlic, thinly sliced

1 tablespoon fresh thyme leaves

Salt and pepper

1 pound Barilla fettuccine

4 tablespoons white truffl e oil

1⁄2 pound fresh Ricotta

Bring 6 quarts water to a boil in a spaghetti pot and add 2 tablespoons salt.

In a 10- to 12-inch sauté pan heat oil till smoking. Add mushroom pieces 6 or 7 at a time and cook without moving or shaking the pan for 3 minutes, then turn the mushrooms and cook 2 minutes on the second side, then remove to a plate covered with a paper towel.

Repeat this in batches until all of the mushrooms are cooked. In the same pan over medium heat (once the mushrooms are all cooked and removed), add the remaining olive oil and heat till smoking.

Add the onion, leeks, garlic and thyme leaves and cook until very soft, about 10 minutes, stirring regularly and

remove from heat. Toss the mushrooms on top but do not stir in.

Cook the pasta in the boiling water according to package instructions. Drain, reserving the pasta water, and add the pasta to the pan with the mushroom mixture. Add the truffl e oil.

Toss the pasta over medium heat until well coated and pour immediately into a warmed bowl. Dot the top of the pasta with teaspoons of Ricotta and serve immediately.