Angelo Romano's kitchen at Masten Lake is absolutely teeny (even by New York standards) and packed with interesting ingredients like agretti—a feathery green that thrives in salty soil, lending its leaves a juicy, saline quality—and button-cap chanterelles, apricot-colored gems in season for just another month or so. Because the mushrooms grow in the fluffy, green moss of the Canadian wilderness, they arrive pristine (Romano just shakes them about in a bowl of cold water and lays them on clean towels to dry).
Now, don't be fooled by his cap and shorts. Romano, who was previously the chef de cuisine at Roberta's and cooked at Mario Batali's Lupa before that, has an incredibly thoughtful, refined approach to Italian food. On our visit, he sauteed the Chanterelles with cherry-red pickled peppers—thinly sliced and softened in olive oil, they perk up the mushrooms’ woodsy, floral flavor. You won’t find this dish on the menu, which Romano changes nightly, but you can make it at home—preferably while sipping something red, soft and silky.
Button-Cap Chanterelles with Pasta
Serves 2
½ pound fresh pici or dry bucatini
1 Tablespoon olive oil
2 cups button-cap chanterelles
3 Tablespoons cherry-pepper pickles, sliced
2 Tablespoons pickling liquid
2 Tablespoons butter
1 ounce grated Pecorino
1 Tablespoon breadcrumbs, toasted in olive oil
Salt, to taste
1. Put on a large pot of salted water to boil. When boiling, add the pasta and cook until al dente.
2. Meanwhile, in a large saucepan heat the olive oil. Saute the whole mushrooms until tender (about a minute) then add the sliced pickles and allow to soften.
3. Add the pickling liquid, turn down the heat, and add the drained pasta and the cheese, mixing well and allowing the liquid to bubble and reduce for about a minute.
4. Serve, topping each bowl with a sprinkling of toasted breadcrumbs.
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