PASTA with BRIE, MUSHROOMS, & ARUGULA

On a trip to Italy, my mother and I had the joy of eating lunch at a home literally “under the Tuscan sun.”  They served the most amazing pasta dish, and the only features I remember (besides how delicious it was) were the mushrooms, a semi-pungent cheese, and penne pasta. That's it... Simple enough, I thought.  My efforts to replicate the recipe would suggest otherwise.  I've destroyed about two pots by melting Gorgonzola cheese, which I later couldn't scrub away.  Finally, after several ill-fated attempts, I found a recipe in Real Simple magazine that seemed like it might match the pasta dish from Italy.

To be totally honest, although I’ve made this recipe, I still cannot say with total certainty that it is as good as the Italian's. Bascially, I blew it!  I added too much water ruining the sauce. When I tried to rebound by adding every other type of cheese I could get my hands on: Gouda, Romano, maybe even a bit of Cheddar (I know – WRONG), it just made it more and more like watered-down bizzaro mac-n-cheese.  Not what I was going for.  My undiscriminating husband said it was delicious, but I know better. I’ve come to understand that his compliments, while greatly appreciated, sometimes are not particularly constructive. Honestly, the dish was awful.  In fact, I literally just dumped all the leftovers in the trash. But, I KNOW the recipe is good… I believe in it! I will make it again, AND I will know where to find the recipe… because now I have a blog! Thank you Blogspot!

Ingredients:
12oz Penne
1 Tbsp Olive Oil
16oz Cremini Mushrooms - quartered
1 Small Red Onion - sliced
1/2 Cup of White Wine or Vermouth
Kosher Salt
8oz Brie (Cut into 1" pieces)
4 Cups of Baby Arugula (or Spinach)

Instructions: 
Cook pasta, drain noodles, and reserve  1/2 cup of the pasta water.  Put the drained pasta back in the pot and set aside.  In a large skillet (I used a wok) heat the oil  over medium high.  Add the mushrooms and onion and cook tossing occasionally, until the mushrooms begin to release their juices, 2 to 3 minutes.  Add the wine, 1/2 teaspoon salt, and 1/4 teaspoon pepper and cook until the mushrooms begin to brown, 5 to 6 minutes.  Back to the pot with the pasta, toss the pasta with the Brie pieces and reserved pasta water until the pasta is coated.  Stir in the mushroom mixture and arugula.  Voila!