Bring a large pot of water to boil and season generously with salt. Cook pasta according to package instructions. Reserve ½ cup of pasta water.
225 g Bucatini Pasta or Spaghetti
In the meantime, heat olive oil in a large saucepan over medium heat. Add garlic, anchovy fillets, and red chilli flakes. Saute for 2-3 minutes until fragrant.
Add sliced shallots and saute for 5-10 minutes until golden & softened.
2 Shallots
Toss in mushrooms and cook for about 5 minutes until golden. Stir in fresh thyme and season with salt & black pepper.
3 sprigs Fresh Thyme, 150 g Shiitake Mushrooms
Add in cooked pasta, reserved pasta water, Parmesan cheese, double cream, and butter. Mix to combine and allow to cook for a few minutes until the sauce thickens and coats pasta. Add in more reserved pasta water if the sauce gets too thick to loosen it up.
½ cup Reserved Pasta Water, 1 tbsp Butter, 1 cup Double Cream, ⅓ cup Parmesan Cheese
Toss in lemon zest. Garnish with more Parmesan cheese and serve immediately.
Zest of 1 Lemon
Notes
The reserved pasta water lends flavour to the sauce and helps to bind the sauce to the pasta noodles.
Adding a slab of butter into the sauce helps to emulsify and adds a silky richness to it.
If you don't have shallots, you can use onions interchangeably for this recipe. Substitute with 1 medium onion.
Bucatini pasta is recommended but if you can't find them, alternative pasta choices include the likes of spaghetti or linguine.