Tagliatelle with mushrooms (Tagliatelle ai funghi)

Bring a large pan full of salted water to a boil. Add the dried porcini mushrooms and the boiling water to a bowl, soak for 5 minutes. Once the porcini mushrooms have reconstituted, remove the mushrooms and pour the liquid through a sieve to get rid of any grit. In a large sauté pan heat the olive oil over medium heat. Add the shallot and sauté until lightly browned. Add the sliced porcini mushrooms and cook until browned. You may find that the mushrooms absorb the oil, if this is the case add another tablespoon. Add 4 turns of freshly ground black pepper and a small pinch of salt. Remove the pan from the heat and add the wine and scrape any bits that are stuck to the pan. Cook for about 2 minutes or until the wine has reduced slightly. Add the mushroom stock. Increase the heat to high and simmer until reduced slightly. You can add the dried reconstituted porcini mushrooms at this stage if you like. Drop the pasta into the boiling water and cook for 2-3 minutes for fresh pasta or according to the package directions. Add the parsley and parmesan cheese to the mushroom mixture, toss with the pasta and serve with freshly grated parmesan cheese. * If you don't want to use wine, you could substitute vegetable stock, or more mushroom stock.