Baked mushroom, spinach & oloroso conchiglie

Baked mushroom, spinach & oloroso Conchiglie

Ingredients

• 20g dried porcini
• 400g mixed mushrooms, roughly chopped
• 2 tbsp olive oil
• 30g butter
• 2 shallots, finely diced
• 2 garlic cloves, chopped
• 2 black garlic cloves, chopped
• 1 tbsp thyme leaves
• A few bay leaves
• 3-4 tbsp oloroso sherry
• 300ml double cream
• 5 tbsp grated Parmesan
• 300g baby spinach leaves
• 400g Conchiglie

Pancetta breadcrumbs

• 2 tbsp olive oil
• 70g pancetta
• 2 small garlic cloves, peeled
• 70g dried breadcrumbs

Method

1. Cover the porcini in 300ml boiling water and leave to soak for 15 minutes.
2. Meanwhile, warm the olive oil and butter in a large frying pan and fry the shallots gently along with the black garlic for about 7-9 minutes with a big pinch of salt, then add the regular garlic and thyme for a few more minutes.
3. Next add the chopped mixed mushrooms to the pan and turn the heat up a bit. Add some more salt and the bay leaves. Fry these for 8 - 10 minutes to make sure the moisture is out of the mushrooms.
4. Bring a pan of salted water to the boil and cook the pasta to al dente and preheat the oven to 200C/180C fan/gas 6.
5. Add the porcini mushrooms followed by 3 tablespoons of the oloroso sherry, and let that simmer. Then follow with the double cream, and the porcini soaking liquid.
6. Next add 3 tbsp of the grated parmesan and let that melt in.
7. At this stage, add the spinach to the mushrooms and fold it through until just wilted. Taste and check the seasoning, and adjust if needed.
8. Drain the pasta, but hold back some of the pasta water.
9. Stir the cooked pasta into the mushroom sauce, adding splashes of cooking water until you have a nice wet sauce (you want it wetter than normal as it's going in the oven). Transfer to a baking dish if need be and put to one aside for a moment. Sprinkle the pancetta crumb over the pasta, finish with the remaining Parmesan, a little extra thyme leaves and drizzle with oil before placing in the oven for 20-25 minutes until golden.