Tagliatelle with Porcini Pioppini Mushrooms

Method

1. Clean the mushrooms: cut off the woody base, wash thoroughly, and pat dry.
2. For large pioppini, separate the caps from the stems. Slice the caps into thick slices. Dice the stems into small pieces. For small pioppini, leave them whole or cut in half if desired.
3. Finely chop the shallot. Add the oil to a large pan, then add the shallot and a little chopped parsley. Add coarsely ground black pepper.
4. Add the diced mushroom stems to the pan, season with salt, and cook over high heat with the lid on until they start to stick to the bottom.
5. Once the stems release their liquid, reduce the heat to low, add a ladle of water, cover, and cook for 5 minutes.
6. Add the mushroom caps (and any whole small mushrooms) to the pan, season with a pinch of salt, and continue cooking over low heat with the lid until they release their liquid and begin to stick again.
7. Add two or three ladles of unsalted pasta cooking water. Continue cooking over low heat, uncovered, until the mushrooms are tender and the sauce is reduced.
8. Meanwhile, bring a large pot of salted water to a boil and cook the pasta until al dente.
9. Drain the pasta, reserving some cooking water, and add it to the mushroom pan. Toss well over low heat, adding more pasta water if needed, until the pasta is evenly coated.
10. For the pure version: remove from heat, stir in a handful of chopped fresh parsley, drizzle with extra virgin olive oil, and serve immediately.
11. For the stracchino version: remove from heat, add pieces of stracchino cheese, and stir until melted and creamy. Add a splash of pasta water if necessary to adjust consistency. Serve immediately.
12. For the stracciatella version: serve the hot pasta and place cold stracciatella (the creamy inside of burrata) on top. Do not stir; let it melt naturally.