double-mushroom four-cheese penne marsala -- aka the best thing i have ever made.

Until somewhat recently, mushrooms topped the very short list of foods I refused to consume. But something wonderful happened over the past few years, and these delightful little fungi have switched from the top of the yuck list – which is no longer so much a list as it is the lone item “black olives” – to the top of the yum one.

Consequently, they’ve acquired a starring role in what is likely the awesomest recipe in my oeuvre. There’s nothing fancy about this pasta, but there is a lot yummy about it. Capers and red bell peppers, atypical Marsala ingredients, really brighten an otherwise fairly standard sauce, and the added four cheeses make things rich and lovely. I was so engrossed in devouring it that I completely forgot about the garlic bread smoldering away in the oven. We saved it just before it crossed over into crouton afterlife.

This supper was supposed to make for a low-key end to a low-key weekend (which included Rock of Ages, highly recommended for a super-fun summer flick), but two bottles of wine and a few slugs of 1800 later we wound up almost entirely neglecting the 3,000-piece jigsaw puzzle strewn all over the basement table. We’re wild like that.

messy plate,. very sorry.

double-mushroom four-cheese penne marsala

1 lb. whole wheat penne
8 oz. baby bella mushrooms, sliced
8 oz. Portobello mushrooms, sliced
1 red onion, thinly sliced
1 red bell pepper, thinly sliced
Three large garlic cloves, minced (I only used two, and it was not enough. B disagrees, but he is clearly wrong.)
Capers, like a handful or so
Marsala wine (a cup? Maybe? Just use enough to achieve the right consistency)
Italian four-cheese blend – ours was provolone, mozzarella, asiago and parmesan, but any blend will work
Salt & pepper
Butter (full-fat, salted, none of this margarine crap)
Flour

Melt 3-4 tablespoons of glorious, unapologetic butter over medium-low heat and caramelize the red onions. Raise heat to medium-high and add the peppers and mushrooms. Sautee for 5-10, until the mushrooms start to cook down, then add garlic and capers. Sautee for about 5 more minutes, until the garlic gets super fragrant, then salt and pepper everything. Add in 3-4 tablespoons of flour and stir well for 3-4 minutes to cook up a golden-brown roux. Stir in Marsala wine and raise heat to high. Thicken sauce, stirring constantly and adding in more wine as needed to reach the right consistency (it should be thinner than gravy but thicker than jus), then stir in servings of the four-cheese blend in quarter-cup increments until the sauce looks dangerous. Toss with pasta, top with more cheese and watch YouTube videos while singing inappropriately at the dinner table.