Wild Olive opened on Johns Island just outside of Charleston, South Carolina in 2009, serving elevated Italian cuisine in the agricultural and seaside culinary wonderland known as Lowcountry. Chef Jacques Larson, who grew up with his Italian-American mother in New Jersey before studying in Iowa and moving to the Carolinas, tells La Cucina Italiana that he saw a unique opportunity here. "One thing Charleston was missing was real Italian cuisine,” he says. “Italian food is all about farm-to-table, and there is no better place to source locally than right here."
One of the restaurant’s standout dishes and a longtime favorite is this pappardelle with oyster mushrooms, guanciale, and arugula preparation. At Wild Olive, Larson makes sure the fresh pasta is cooked al dente and that the arugula gets added at the end, just until the leaves wilt, creating a sauce along with the cooking water, butter, and other ingredients. It’s a flavorful, satisfying dish that’s fairly easy to make at home.
Pappardelle with Oyster Mushrooms, Guanciale, Arugula and Parmesan
Serves four
Ingredients:
16 oz. fresh pappardelle noodles (or your favorite long pasta)
6 oz. guanciale (medium dice)
3-5 cloves of garlic (smashed flat with the side of your knife)
8 oz. of oyster mushrooms (broken/torn into 2 inch pieces)
4 oz. butter
2 Tbsp. olive oil
2 cups of packed arugula greens
½ cup of grated Parmesan
Salt and pepper to taste + salt for pasta water
Method:
1. Bring a medium-large stockpot filled with water and 2 Tbsp. salt to a boil.Separately, heat a large saute pan on medium-high heat.
2. Add olive oil and garlic to the pan, browning the garlic in the oil for 2-3 minutes. Discard the garlic.
3. While the pan is still hot, add the guanciale and render on medium heat. When the guanciale is crispy (about 4-5 minutes) pour off about half of the fat from the pan.
4. Add the mushrooms and saute with the guanciale for 2-3 minutes. Turn off the heat.
5. Add your pasta to the boiling water and cook it for 2-5 minutes depending on the thickness of the fresh noodle or if using dried pasta, cook per the directions of the package. Either way, cook the pasta until al dente.
6. Drain pasta, reserving 2 cups of the pasta water, setting water aside.
7. Begin to heat the saute pan and once hot, add the noodles to the pan and toss them with the mushrooms and guanciale.
8. Once the mixture gets hot, add the two cups of pasta water and reduce until almost all liquid is evaporated.
9. Add the butter and toss to incorporate.
10. Then, add arugula and toss until leaves begin to wilt. A tight sauce should form.
11. Add half of the parmesan and toss one last time.
12. Double check the consistency of the sauce before plating, adding water to thin if needed or by reducing on the stove if too thin.
13. Divide the pasta between bowls.
14. Garnish with remaining parmesan.