“Morel, Bolete, and Cattail Rigatoni with Venison Sausage”

by: Eric Sharpe

Description:

That’s right, I said “cattail,” you know the things growing in your local park or swamp. Now lets be clear, it is KEY to pick these from clean water early in the spring (around morel mushroom time). Just pull up a young cattail from the base and trim all of the excess green leaves until you are left with the tender inner core. This is similar to fresh hearts of palm or baby artichokes, which could easily be substituted in this recipe.

Ingredients:

• 2 # Wild Mushrooms (seasonal). We are using what was in season and what we had. Play around with this one. Morels, oysters and boletes all make a great spring mix.
• ½ pound medium grind Italian sausage, venison preferred but pork will work as well. 
• One stick unsalted butter
• 1 large sweet yellow onion, sliced thin 
• One cup small to medium diced, blanched (quick cooked in salted boiling water) cattail or substitute artichoke
• 1 cup dry white vermouth
• 2 cups heavy cream
• 2 TBS fresh chopped garlic
• 16oz dried, good quality, rigatoni or orecchiette pasta 
• 2 cups breadcrumbs
• 2 Tablespoons chopped fresh rosemary
• ¼ LB  fresh shredded parmesan (get the good stuff and shred it yourself, it’s always worth it) 
• Kosher Salt

Pro Tip:

If you can get your hands on White truffles, this is the dish to use those on!  Make it FANCY!

Cooking Instructions:

1. Melt ½ stick butter in a large, high edged sauté pan, add the crumbled raw sausage, use heavy fennel Italian venison sausage if you have it, otherwise a good quality Italian pork sausage. Brown. Once browned, add the mushrooms and onions. Continue to cook until the mushrooms have begun to caramelize and the onions are soft. Add the cattails. 
2. Deglaze with vermouth and reduce by 75 %. Add the garlic and heavy cream and bring to a very low simmer for 15 minutes or until reduced and beginning to thicken. Remove and set aside.
3. Cook the pasta in rapidly boiling salted water. How much salt? The water should taste like the sea. Cook until al dente or just under, do not overcook. 
4. Drain and reserve 1 cup of the pasta cooking water.
5. Combine the pasta with the sauce mix, cooking water, and bring to a low simmer for 3-4 minutes until thickened. Taste and adjust salt as needed.
6. In a separate sauté pan, melt the remaining butter and add the ¼ cup olive oil and rosemary. Bring to medium heat and continue to stir until golden brown and toasted. Remove from heat. 
7. To serve, top the pasta with a big spoon of the toasted breadcrumbs and a heaping spoon of fresh parmesan, and if you have those truffles (lucky you) shave away and indulge. 

Cocktail Pairing:

A rich, mushroom-heavy pasta like this will make most wines taste amazing, but a dish this wild deserves something special nonetheless. We recommend an earthy red like a Pinot Noir.

Get Cooking!

As always, good luck everyone and remember to send any success pictures or stories from the field to [email protected], and you could be featured on our website or in our magazine. If this article or any of our articles have helped you become a better hunter or conservation steward, consider becoming a member of the Mule Deer Foundation for only $35 dollars a year. Click here to join: https://muledeer.org/product-category/membership/

Eric Sharpe

Eric is the Chief Development Officer for MDF. He is a Montana and Wyoming Hunting guide in the fall and accomplished chef. Eric attended the Culinary Institute of America Hyde Park, and Graduated with Honors, as well as Culinary Institute of America, Greystone, before studying at Le Pont Rouge, Culinary Academy, Stage, in Le Mans France. Eric is also a certified Level II WSET Wine, WSET Certified Sommelier, WSET Level I Sake. A restauranteur with over 30 years in the food and beverage industry in some of the country’s top Michelin Star and James Beard winning restaurants. Private chef, seafood, wild game and culinary entrepreneur along with fine wine and beverage consulting and sales for over 20 years.