Ingredients

2/3 oz dried morel or porcini mushrooms

1 3/4 cups boiling hot water

5 TB ghee (ghee is clarified butter, you can also use regular butter)

1/2 lb fresh cremini mushrooms, trimmed and sliced 1/4 inch thick

3/4 lb mixed fresh wild mushrooms, such as oyster, chanterelle, or porcini, trimmed and sliced lengthwise 1/4 inch thick

1 large clove garlic, minced

3/4 tsp sea salt

1/4 tsp black pepper

1/2 lb dried brown rice fettucini

1/4 cup chopped fresh chives

2 TB chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley

1 1/2 tsp finely grated fresh lemon zest

1/2 tsp fresh lemon juice

Accompaniment: grated Parmigiano-Reggiano or Nutritional yeast (if going dairy-free)

Directions:

Soak dried mushrooms in boiling hot water in a bowl until softened, about 20 minutes. Drain in a paper-towel-lined sieve set over a bowl to reserve soaking liquid. Rinse soaked mushrooms. Pat dry and finely chop. 

Heat 3 TB ghee in a 12-inch heavy skillet over moderately high heat until foam subsides, then saute fresh mushrooms with garlic, salt and pepper, stirring occasionally until liquid mushrooms give off is evaporated and mushrooms are browned, 5 to 7 minutes. Stir in chopped soaked mushrooms and reserved mushroom-soaking liquid and simmer 1 minute, then remove from heat. 

Cook pasta in a 6-8 quart pot of boiling water until al dente, about 5 minutes. Ladle out and reserve 1/4 cup pasta cooking water. Drain pasta in a colander, then add it to mushrooms in skillet. Add remaining 2 TB of ghee and cook over moderately high heat, tossing and adding some pasta-cooking liquid if necessary to lightly coat, 1 minute. Add chives, parsley, lemon zest and juice, then toss well. Serve immediately with cheese (nutritional yeast) and pepper to taste. 

Serves 6 as a first course or 4 as a main course.