Fettuccine Toscana

Place mushrooms in sieve; rinse under lukewarm running water, tossing constantly. Run fingertips over surface of mushrooms; if mushrooms feel gritty, rinse again. Drain.

Heat 1 cup stock and the mushrooms in small heavy saucepan over high heat to boiling. Reduce heat to very low; cook mushrooms, covered, at very gentle simmer until soft, about 30 minutes.

Remove mushrooms from stock to sieve, using slotted spoon; rinse briefly under lukewarm running water to remove any loosened grit. Set aside to drain. Set second sieve, lined with double thickness of dampened cheesecloth, over bowl; spoon stock carefully into sieve, discarding the last few tablespoons of stock in saucepan if they contain any accumulation of grit.

Rinse out saucepan; return clear stock to pan. Heat stock to boiling over medium high heat; boil until reduced to about 2 tablespoons, about 20 minutes. While stock is reducing, chopped drained mushrooms fine; reserve.

Melt butter in large skillet over medium heat; stir in heavy cream. Increase heat to medium-high; heat mixture to boiling. Boil, uncovered, until cream is reduce by half, about 10 minutes. Stir in the 2 tablespoons reduce stock and reserved mushrooms; season to taste with salt. Set aside, covered, off heat.

Heat large sauce pan of salted water over high heat to boiling. Stir in fettuccine; cook, uncovered, stirring occasionally, until tender, 2 to 5 minutes. Drain.

Reheat cream and mushroom mixture briefly in skillet; stir in drain fettuccine to coat. To serve, toss with Parmesan and sprinkle with freshly ground pepper to taste.