Creamy mushroom pasta

Remove the mushroom stem base and cut the mushrooms into small pieces; do not peel them. They shrink, and pieces cut too big are hard for the pasta to hold.

Set the stove to medium heat, add about five tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil and a splash of water before the oil gets hot so the garlic does not burn.

Crush the garlic into the pan and cook about 30 seconds until golden.

Add the mushrooms before the garlic burns and stir them around; they need about 10 minutes or a little more.

Season with salt and pepper and add the butter; raise to medium-high so it cooks faster and the mushrooms release their water.

Bring water to the boil, add a tablespoon of sea salt, and cook 300 g of pasta for eight minutes to al dente, pushing it down so it does not stick.

Take about 100 g of the cooked mushrooms out and blend them with a little extra virgin olive oil, a splash of milk, and a little water or more milk, into a mushroom cream.

Stir the chopped parsley into the pan, then pour in the milk and let it thicken; it evaporates and helps the creaminess. Pasta water can be used instead of milk.

Add the blended mushroom cream to the pan and let it thicken.

Reserve pasta water, lift the al dente pasta into the pan and mix, adding pasta water and tossing.

Switch off the stove, add a little more pasta water so there is some cream in the bowl, then add the pecorino in two goes, stirring quickly before tossing each time. More cheese gives more cream.

Plate, top with more mushrooms and cream, and sprinkle over a little parsley. Eat straight away or the creaminess is lost.

Variation: add sausages to take it further, though he keeps it vegetarian.

Variation: some people put wine in the mushroom sauce; he does not think it is needed.