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i typed this up fo !@#$%! as part of a discussion of whether cilantro sucks or not... and whether you can make pasta sauce without garlic... so ignore that stuff and spice it how you like...
portabella walnut marinara suace:
i usually started with olive oil in a frying pan (enough to partially cover the crushed walnuts, definitely more than just to 'saute' them). gently heat the crushed walnuts on very low heat. the idea was not so much to give them a 'roasted' flavor as to release the walnut oils into the sauce. 'brown' was a poor choice of words as they should not actually change color. or at least i never tried it that way. a few times i substitued pine nuts for walnuts (same kind of slightly bitter nutty flavor) but it wasn't nearly as good.
next i usually added just a splash of vegetable oil to thin the oil a little, heat it to medium and saute the portabellas. when i had the time and wanted it to turn out perfect i would do the mushrooms in a separate pan with butter. either way, do it gently as your trying to get them to release their juices and not 'fry' them. stop before they're fully cooked as they will simmer in the sauce a little later.
at this point dump in the strained tomatos, wine and 2-3 bay leaves. sounds heavy handed, but it's crucial when you have no garlic. likewise with the wine... i usually went heavy handed, which required more simmering down, hence the note about the mushrooms. salt and pepper (freshly ground only) to taste. if you're feeling adventurous, a dash of red pepper flakes. simmer.
thicken with tomato paste. at this point in most of my other pasta sauces i would add some more olive oil for flavor and consistency, but since we started with more than we needed it's not necessary here.
add the herbs. obviously fresh basil and oregano. most people would go with italian parsley, i just happen to like cilantro. at any rate, no curly pasley - it's too bitter. simmer the flavors in just a little, check your salt and pepper, serve over fresh fettucine with some grated parmesan.
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