Mushroom Sauce
This makes a nice, quick sauce, even when you use cultivated
mushrooms. But if you're fortunate enough to have some wild
mushrooms on hand; morels, chanterelles, cèpes, even field
mushrooms, you have a great experience in store for you.
Enough for 1/2 to 3/4 pound pasta

1 pound mushrooms
1/4 pound unsalted butter
3 shallots, minced
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
3 tablespoons chopped parsley

Wipe the mushrooms with a damp cloth and slice them lengthwise,
through cap and stem. Melt the butter in a skillet, add the mushrooms
and shallots, and sauté them quickly over fairly high heat, tossing them
in the pan and seasoning them as they cook with the salt and pepper.
Pour over freshly cooked pasta, mix well, and sprinkle with chopped
parsley.

Pasta Primavera
In Italian, primavera means ''spring,'' and a primavera sauce should be
made with the first, tiny vegetables that pop out in the spring. In the
winter, of course, you would use the freshest vegetables you could get
at that time, such as broccoli, red peppers, and zucchini, but I've
suggested a springtime combination that would be just delicious. Just
don't be formal about it. Use what you have in the garden or in the
refrigerator. You can even cut up a couple of stalks of celery and add
them for the bite.

4 to 6 servings
1/2 cup fresh peas
1/2 cup tiny, new beans
1/2 cup sliced stalks thin asparagus
1/2 cup sliced mushrooms
4 tablespoons unsalted butter
1 cup light cream, warmed
Lots of freshly ground black pepper
1 pound angel hair, linguine, or even orzo
Grated Parmesan cheese

Lightly cook the peas, beans, asparagus, and mushrooms in the butter
until everything is crisply tender. Add the cream and pepper and cook
down briefly. Cook the pasta, drain it, and toss with the sauce. Sprinkle
with lots of grated Parmesan cheese.