Mushroom Marsala Spaghetti

In my twenties, I survived epic trainwreck relationships. Ignoring my better instincts, I jumped aboard... heading for a crash. Being on a speeding train seemed sorta fun. Woohoo! I cozied up to dangerous situations, pitching my tent among the bomb blasts and heavy artillery. I convinced myself that it was better than being alone. One night, I sat in my car and prayed (begged) for the grace to leave it all behind. I hibernated in my room, licking my wounds until they healed. I took up watercolor painting. I cooked. I found peace in solitude.

When the time was right, I met a sweet guy named Tom. He wanted to hang out with me..sharing good food and wine...talking for hours. I married him. We built a small life together, enjoying movies, mountain hikes and many homemade meals.   

Tom loves mushrooms. This simple recipe pairs them with tangles of chewy spaghetti, fresh herbs and marsala for a cozy, fall dinner. The mushrooms caramelize and soak up the wine, infusing the dish with great flavor. A flurry of Parmesan cheese and chives is a delicious finish.  It's a nice vegetarian main course or a welcome sidekick to roasted or sauteed chicken.  

Mushroom Marsala Spaghetti Recipe

Serves 4 as a Main Course 

Some Notes & Tips

This recipe is vegan or vegetarian, depending on how you prepare it.   

It may seem like a lot of mushrooms but they will cook down quite a bit. You can mix up the mushrooms, adding shiitakes or creminis if you're in the mood. But I find the regular button mushrooms work just fine.

I use a microplane zester to mince the garlic.

Remember to select a dry Marsala wine, not a sweet one.

When I can, I go for imported Italian brand pasta. In simple dishes like this one, it makes all the difference. I cook it al dente in plenty of salted water. 

Instead of spaghetti, the marsala mushrooms are also great with cheese ravioli too. 

If you're looking for an easy roasted chicken recipe, here's one of my go-to's:
Lemon Chicken

Ingredients

• 1 16-ounce package of spaghetti 
• 4 10-ounce packages of regular white button mushrooms
• 1-2 cloves of garlic, minced
• 1-2 tablespoons of finely chopped fresh rosemary or thyme (or to your taste) 
• 1 cup of dry Marsala wine 
• Olive oil and/or butter for cooking
• Salt and pepper to taste. I use sea salt and freshly cracked pepper.

To Serve: grated parmesan cheese, sprinkling of chopped chives

Instructions

Cook the spaghetti according to the package directions. Don't forget to salt the water. Once the spaghetti is done, toss with some olive oil and/or butter to prevent sticking.

Slice the mushrooms thinly. Put some olive oil and/or butter in a large fry pan and heat on medium high. Saute the mushrooms in three batches with salt and pepper until they're soft and some of them are golden brown and caramelized. As the mushrooms cook, reserve them in a bowl. Return all the reserved mushrooms to the pan and stir in the marsala wine and minced garlic. (Be careful when adding the wine to the pan.) Cook for an additional 3-5 minutes or until the garlic loses its raw edge and the alcohol evaporates from the wine. Taste and season with more salt and pepper if needed. Stir in the rosemary or thyme. Toss the cooked spaghetti with the mushrooms or serve the mushrooms over the spaghetti. A sprinkling of chives and a flurry of parmesan cheese is delicious too.

Bon Appetit!