Recipe - Rowanberry Gravy

Three fourths pound Rigatoni pasta; cooked
Extra virgin olive oil to
taste
One half ounce Porcini mushrooms;
reconstituted in
; One half cup warm water
; for 30 minutes
2 lg White onions; cut or sliced up
1/2inch
; thick and cooked in
; 3 tablespoons
; unsalted butter
; until golden
One half pound Thinly cut or sliced up pancetta; cut
into 1/2inch
; thick strips and
; browned
1 pound Portobello mushrooms or a
combination; stemmed, wiped
; Portobello and white,
clean and cut into
; 1inch pieces
1 tablespoon Finely chopped garlic
1 Three fourths cup Heavy cream
10 ounce Fresh spinach; rinsed and
stemmed
1 tablespoon Fresh thyme
1 cup Freshly grated Parmesan
Salt and freshly ground
black pepper to
; taste

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Bring a large pot of water to boil over high
heat, add a generous amount of salt to taste and the rigatoni and cook,
stirring occasionally, for 12 minutes, or until the pasta is almost al
dente. Strain the pasta in a colander, rinse it under cold running water,
and toss with 1 tablespoon of oil.

With a slotted spoon remove the soaked mushrooms from the liquid and strain
the liquid through a fine sieve lined with dampened cheesecloth or a coffee
filter into a bowl. Reserve. If the Porcini mushrooms are still dirty,
rinse them and pat dry. Trim the stems and coarsely chop the mushrooms.

In a 2 One half quart ovenproof casserole set over moderately low heat, melt the
butter and add the onions, and salt and pepper to taste and cook, stirring
occasionally, for 20 minutes, or until the onions are golden brown and
tender. Transfer the onions to a plate.

Add the pancetta to the casserole, increase the heat to moderate and cook,
stirring occasionally, for 15 minutes, or until the pancetta begins to
brown. With a slotted spoon, transfer the pancetta to the plate with the
onions. Add the Portobello mushrooms to the casserole, season with salt and
pepper and cook the mushrooms, stirring occasionally, for 10 minutes, or
until tender. Add the garlic and cook, stirring for 1 minute. Add the
chopped Porcini mushrooms, strained mushroom juice, onions, pancetta, 1/2
cup of the Parmesan, and the heavy cream to the casserole and simmer,
stirring occasionally, for 10 minutes, or until mushroom flavor is
pronounced in the cream. Add the pasta, spinach, thyme, salt, and pepper
and gently toss the mixture with the remaining Parmesan. Transfer the
casserole to the oven and bake for 20 minutes, or until cream is bubbling.

Yield: 4 to 6