Summer Bean & Mushroom Pasta

Wash and dry the fresh produce. Heat a medium pot of salted water to boiling on high. Peel the shallot and thinly slice into rings; separate the rings and place in a bowl of cold water. Cut off and discard the shiitake stems; thinly slice the caps. Thinly slice the creminis. Cut the maitakes into bite-sized pieces. Trim off and discard the stem ends of the green and yellow wax beans; halve the beans. Pick the parsley leaves off the stems; discard the stems.

Drain the shallot rings. In a small bowl, combine the drained shallot rings and flour; toss to thoroughly coat. In a large pan, heat a thin layer of oil on medium until hot. Tapping off any excess flour, add the coated shallot rings to the pan in a single layer. Cook, occasionally stirring and tilting the pan to submerge the shallot rings in oil, 1 to 2 minutes, or until golden brown and crispy. Transfer to a paper towel-lined plate and immediately season with salt. Carefully discard the oil and wipe out the pan.

In the pan used to cook the shallot rings, heat 2 teaspoons of olive oil on medium-high until hot. Add the shiitakes, creminis and maitakes. Cook, stirring occasionally, 3 to 5 minutes, or until lightly browned. Season with salt and pepper.

While the mushrooms brown, add the egg noodles to the pot of boiling water. Cook 6 to 8 minutes, or until al dente (still slightly firm to the bite). Reserving ½ cup of the pasta cooking water, drain thoroughly.

While the pasta cooks, to the pan of mushrooms, add the green and yellow wax beans and as much of the spice blend as you’d like, depending on how spicy you’d like the dish to be; season with salt and pepper. Cook, stirring occasionally, 2 to 4 minutes, or the beans are lightly browned and the spices are toasted and fragrant.Add ½ cup of water and cook, stirring occasionally and scraping up any browned bits from the bottom of the pan, 4 to 6 minutes, or until the beans are slightly tender and the liquid has evaporated.

Stir the cooked egg noodles, butter, Parmesan cheese and ¼ cup of the reserved pasta cooking water into the pan of mushrooms and beans. Cook on medium, stirring frequently to coat the pasta, 2 to 3 minutes, or until thoroughly combined. (If the sauce seems dry, gradually add the remaining pasta cooking water to achieve your desired consistency.) Season with salt and pepper to taste; remove from heat. Divide the finished pasta between 2 dishes. Garnish with the crispy shallot rings and parsley. Enjoy!