Pasta with Shiitake Mushrooms and Greens

SHIITAKE mushrooms are a popular ingredient in Asian cuisine, and are also used in traditional Chinese medicine.

Ingredients:

3 tablespoons olive oil
1 large chopped shallot 
200 g SHIITAKE mushrooms, stemmed, sliced
4 tablespoons soy sauce
1 teaspoon ground smoked paprika (to taste)
1 teaspoon ground black pepper (to taste)
salt
450 g ORECCHIETTE pasta (or other Italian pasta, such as PENNE)
100 g chopped greens (such as kale or chard)

Directions:

1. Heat the oil in a large frying pan over medium-high heat. When the oil is hot, add the shallots and mushrooms. Simmer for 3 minutes.
2. Add soy sauce, smoked paprika, and black pepper. Stir and continue to cook until shallots are translucent and mushrooms are slightly browned and softened (another 3 to 5 minutes). Remove from heat and set aside.
3. While shallots and mushrooms are cooking, bring a large pot of well-salted water to a boil. Cook pasta until almost al dente (almost cooked but still firm), about 1 minute less than package directions say.
4. Just before pasta is done, stir in greens to soften slightly as they warm through (about 30 seconds).
5. Reserve 1 cup of the pasta cooking water for later use, and drain the rest.
6. Add reserved pasta water to sautéed mushrooms and increase heat to medium. Stir, scraping up any bits from bottom of pan.
7. Stir pasta and greens into skillet with mushrooms and cook until pasta is tender (but not overcooked!) and sauce is smooth (about 1 minute). Season with additional salt, pepper, and smoked paprika to taste, and serve. Enjoy!

Yield: 6 servings
Recipe: thespruceeats.com