This recipe from the Pendle Hill Recipe Archives came to the Pendle Hill kitchen sometime in the early ’80s. A few of the cooks had gone to dinner at a restaurant in Kennett Square called Hugo’s. They loved this Italian tomato sauce loaded with local mushrooms and asked for the recipe, which the chef kindly passed along (the recipe below serves 6).
Fran Taber wrote up the original recipe card to be used by cooks and Bobbi Kelly passed it on. It became a standard vegetarian pasta dish at Pendle Hill from then until sometime around 2000. John Meyer found the card, knew the history, and it is again being served in the Pendle Hill dining room!
Ingredients:
- ½ cup chopped onions
- ¼ cup chopped green bell pepper
- 4 cloves garlic, minced
- ¼ cup olive oil
- 2 ½ pounds fresh mushrooms, sliced thickly
- 1T oregano
- 1T dried basil
- 2T fresh lemon juice
- 4T paprika
- ½T salt
- 4 cups tomato puree
- ½ pound mozzarella cheese
Directions:
- In a medium sauce pan saute the onions until translucent. Add the peppers and garlic and saute until half way done. Add the mushrooms, stir. Add the oregano, basil, salt, lemon juice and paprika. Stir well. Add the tomato puree and simmer for about 15 minutes.
- Transfer the mushrooms to an oiled casserole dish and top with the mozzarella cheese. Place in a 350 oven, uncovered and bake long enough to melt the cheese, about 10-15 minutes.
- Serve with spaghetti or Rigatoni and grated parmesan cheese.
