Generally speaking, bigoli pasta looks a lot like spaghetti, but with a thicker consistency and a different flavor. A typical pasta variety from the Veneto region and some areas of Lombardy in Northern Italy, bigoli are curiously coarse to the touch, which makes them perfect for soaking in gravies, sauces, or other ingredients on the creamier side.
And since bigoli are a kind of noodle, they're a perfect fit for Italian-Japanese “fusion” cuisine. In fact, they’re featured in one of the signature dishes at Kimika, the recently-opened Italian-Japanese fusion restaurant located on Kenmare Street in Nolita where an eclectic menu of Italian dishes is made using Japanese techniques.
The restaurant’s Executive Chef Christine Lau shares her favorite recipe for bigoli with a tasty Asian-inspired mixed mushroom sauce.
Soy Butter Bigoli With Mixed Mushrooms and Shallot Gremolata by Chef Christine Lau
Serves 4-6
For the gremolata (which can be made ahead of time and kept in an airtight container)
When it comes to the gremolata, you can prep it ahead of time and simply add it to the pasta later if desired.
Ingredients:
2 shallots, sliced into thin rounds (1/8" thick)
The zest of one lemon (grated using a micro-plane)
4 sprigs of fresh parsley
1 cup corn starch
4 cups canola oil, for frying
Method:
While preparing the ingredients, heat the canola oil up to 325°F in a small pot. For the shallots, it’s recommended that you use a mandolin slicer to slice them. (If you don’t own one, just slice them as thin as possible.) In a mixing bowl, separate the shallots into individual rings. Coat the shallots in corn starch, shaking off the excess. Transfer to the heated oil and fry until golden-brown and crispy. Remove the shallots from the oil and drain on a paper towel. Season with salt. Once the shallots are cool, transfer them to a cutting board & chop finely. Set aside in a mixing bowl. Pick the parsley leaves off the stem and chop the leaves. Add them to the mixing bowl. Add the lemon zest. Mix well. Season with salt & pepper.
The pasta recipe
Once your gremolata is ready, it’s time to prep the whole dish!
Ingredients:
1 lb fresh bigoli pasta (or the thickest long pasta or noodles you can find)
4 oz shiitake mushrooms, thinly sliced
4 oz maitake mushrooms, pulled and cut into small bundles
4 oz king oyster mushrooms, cut into 1/4” half-moon shapes
2 oz scallions, cut into 2” sticks
2 oz garlic chives, cut into 2” sticks
2 tablespoons Xiao Shing wine
3 tablespoons dark soy sauce*
4 tablespoons unsalted butter
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
¼ cup fried shallots
1 tablespoon chopped parsley
1 lemon, zested using a micro-plane (plus its juice)
Salt, to taste
White sugar, to taste
Method:
In a large sauté pan over high heat, add the extra-virgin olive oil. Once the oil is hot, add the cleaned and sliced mushrooms. Season them with salt and continue cooking so that the mushrooms start to caramelize. Sauté until just about cooked through. Add the scallions and chives. Then deglaze the pan using the Xiao Shing wine. While the mushrooms are cooking, boil the bigoli noodles according to the instructions on the package.
Once the pasta is almost cooked, add 2 oz pasta water to the pan with the mushrooms. Add 1/2 the butter to the pan to loosen it up a bit. Add the pasta and toss with the mushrooms and herbs.
Over high heat, add soy sauce and about 1/2 tsp sugar (depending on which dark soy sauce you use). The paste should turn a deep caramel brown color. Add the remaining butter to tighten the soy butter sauce. Squeeze about ¼ of the juice from one lemon. Adjust seasoning to taste. Complete with a sprinkling of the shallot gremolata over the surface.
*Look for Lee Kum Kee Premium Dark Soy Sauce, since the salt levels vary across different brands. If you cannot find LKK, substitute another dark soy sauce. You may need to alter the amount of sugar.
Chef Christine Lau