BETTER HALF’S SILK HANDKERCHIEF PASTA WITH ROASTED WILD MUSHROOMS, PORCINI CREAM, TOMATO MARMALADE AND COJITA

The award for sheer decadence on a plate goes to the Silk Handkerchief Pasta with Roasted Wild Mushrooms, Porcini Cream, Tomato Marmalade and Cojita from Zach Meloy of the late, lamented Better Half. Once the components are put ready, it goes together so quickly that I’ve seen Meloy whip it up as family dinner for his staff or as a late-night reward when the evening’s cooking for customers is done. Need an indulgence for a cold winter night? Here’s your dish. – C.W. Cameron

1 ⅔ cups all-purpose flour, plus more for rolling 1 teaspoon kosher salt plus more for seasoning sauce 6 egg yolks

3 tablespoons whole milk

4 tablespoons plus 2 teaspoons extra-virgin olive oil,

divided

Polenta, for dusting baking sheet

2 pounds mixed mushrooms, cleaned and cut or torn

into similar size pieces

3 cups heavy cream

4 large cloves garlic, grated

4 tablespoons porcini mushroom powder 8 tablespoons Tomato Marmalade (recipe follows) 6 tablespoons cojita

16 snap pea shoots

In the bowl of a food processor fitted with the blade, combine flour and 1 teaspoon salt and pulse a few times to combine.

In a small bowl, whisk egg yolks until blended, then with the food processor running, drizzle the yolks into the flour mixture. Drizzle in milk and 2 teaspoons olive oil. Let machine run until a smooth dough forms. Turn the dough out on a sheet of parchment paper, form it into a ball and knead a few times. Form a ball, then wrap tightly in plastic wrap and allow to rest for at least an hour. To roll out pasta: set rollers on pasta machine to widest setting. Dust a baking sheet lightly with polenta. Divide dough in half. Rewrap one half and set aside. Working with one half of the dough, run it twice through the rollers at the widest setting, keeping it flat. If dough begins to stick, dust rollers lightly with flour, adding no more than necessary. Reset the rollers one width narrower and pass the dough through the rollers twice. Repeat, continuing to narrow the roller setting until you reach the second-to-last setting. Cut the length of dough in half if needed for easier handling. Once the dough is rolled, lay it flat on work surface and cut into squares 6 inches wide. Lay squares on prepared baking sheet. Dust polenta between layers to keep pasta from sticking. Set aside. When ready to serve: bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. While water is coming to a boil, heat a very large skillet over medium-high heat. Add remaining 4 tablespoons olive oil and heat until just smoking. Add mushrooms and saute until they begin to color around the edges. Add cream, garlic and porcini powder. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer until mixture is reduced by half, about 20 minutes. Season to taste.

While sauce is reducing, drop sheets of pasta into boiling water one by one, stirring to be sure they don’t stick together. Cook until pasta is just al dente. The pasta will cook in just a minute if you’ve made it fresh. Remove pasta from water and add directly to sauce. Toss to combine. Divide pasta between four serving plates, top with Tomato Marmalade, cojita and pea shoots and serve immediately. Serves: 4.

Per serving: 1,248 calories (percent of calories from fat, 67), 22 grams protein, 83 grams carbohydrates, 5 grams fiber, 95 grams fat (49 grams saturated), 576 milligrams cholesterol, 465 milligrams sodium.