"Wild About Mushrooms" Sauce With Pasta, Arugula & Hazelnuts

1 box gemelli or penne pasta
salt and pepper
1 oz dried porcini mushrooms
3 cups vegetable stock
1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
8 portobello mushroom caps, wiped clean and sliced
1/2 lb shitake mushrooms, stems removed and thinly sliced
4 cloves garlic, minced
2 large shallots, finely chopped
5-6 sprigs fresh thyme
1/4 tsp allspice
Pecorino Romano or other sheep's milk cheese, grated
1/2 cup chopped hazelnuts, toasted
2 cups arugula leaves, shredded
a drizzle of truffle oil

1) Bring water to a boil and salt it for the pasta.
2) Place dried porcini mushrooms in a small pot with the stock and bring to a simmer. Turn the heat down to low and steep until mushrooms are completely tender, about 10-15 minutes.
3) In a deep skillet, heat the olive oil over medium-high heat. Add the garlic, shallots, portobellos, shitakes, thyme, allspice and some black pepper. Cook 10-12 minutes until mushrooms are dark and tender.
4) Remove half the mushrooms and place them in a food processor. Add a cup of the porcini mushroom-stock broth to the processor, grind into a thick sauce and add liquid back to the skillet.
5) Remove the porcinis from the stock with a slotted spoon, chop and add to the skillet. Ladle in remaining stock, discarding the last few spoonfuls at the bottom of the pot where the grit from the mushrooms has settled. Season the sauce with salt to taste and remove thyme stems.
6) Drain pasta when it's al dente and add it to the mushroom sauce to absorb flavor. Add a couple handfuls of Pecorino and toss to combine. Adjust seasonings, spoon into bowls and top with nuts, shredded arugula and more cheese. Drizzle a little truffle oil over it.

Review: This recipe was basically a guide for my cooking. I bought the dried mushrooms from Costco ($15), so it was a mix of fancy mushrooms. This dish included morels, even! I used a fourth of the container, which means I got a great discount on this dish!! I cooked them in 2 cups of broth, and didn't send any through the food processor. I used dried thyme, probably about 1/2 tsp and left it in. I also used baby arugula (the only arugula available at our grocery store), so I didn't shred it. I also used Parmesan at the end, as we can buy that pre-shredded. And, of course, I used truffle oil, which was described in the original recipe as optional. I still have tons of it and use it whenever possible! So, this dish as AMAZING. I really liked it, but then again, both Mike and I are huge fans of mushrooms. Mmmmm.