I was watching Jamie Oliver do a vegetarian dinner on Oliver’s Twist one night and what he was doing looks so delicious that I started typing up the recipes as he went along (I eventually found the original recipes online later on). He did a Wild Mushroom Spaghetti, Mushroom Sarnies & Pecan Vanilla Ice Cream. I tried making them all for my husband and they were a hit. The pasta & sarnie are now staples at home. I would make the dessert regularly as well if only we had an espresso machine. You can’t really take home espresso from Starbucks & use it, because espresso has to be drank a few seconds after preparation or it changes in taste & quality.
The Wild Mushroom Pasta is a favorite party recipe of mine. You can make a big batch, and it still tastes GREAT after reheating – provided you bring extra parmesan & cilantro to top it off after. Below is my adaptation of the recipe.
- 9 to 11 ounces (250 to 300 grams) wild mixed mushrooms (I would probably buy around 14 ounces (400 grams) mushrooms, as you have to trim a bit off) you can mix in a few expensive mushrooms & mix with cheaper ones
- 3 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 clove garlic, finely chopped I use 3-4 cloves because I love garlic
- 1 to 2 small dried red chiles, pounded or very finely chopped I do without this, because it’s pretty good without
- Salt and freshly ground black pepper
- 1/2 lemon, juiced I only use a squeeze or two because I find it too sour if I juice half a lemon
- 1 pound (455 grams) dried spaghetti I like to use angel hair pasta
- A small handful grated Parmesan
- 1 handful fresh parsley, roughly chopped I find it is much, much tastier with cilantro – even my hubby who doesn’t like cilantro, loves this
- 2 ounces (55 grams) unsalted butter
- Clean & chop up the mushrooms thinly (or tear them up)
- Place olive oil in a really hot pan
- Let them fry fast, tossing once or twice
- Place mushrooms with a dash of salt & pepper
- Crush & chop the garlic, place in the side of the pan & toss-up with the mushroom
- Start cooking pasta in a pot of hot water with salt
- Continue to fry the mushroom fast for 4 to 5 minutes, tossing regularly
- Once the mushrooms are almost done, turn off the stove
- Squeeze in the lemon juice. Toss and season to taste.
- Once the pasta is al dente, toss directly on to the pan with the shrooms, include a little bit of the pasta water to the pan to keep the pasta moist, then chopped-up stick of butter, cilantro & parmesan
- Toss gently, coating the pasta with the mushrooms and their flavor
- Serve, scraping out all of the last bits of mushroom from the pan, and sprinkle with a little extra cilantro and parmesan
- Serve hot
If you are using it for a party, skip #12 until right before serving. Place the extra chopped cilantro & parmesan in a separate container. When it’s time to eat microwave the pasta until it’s hot, then sprinkle with a lot of parmesan & cilantro on top.
I can’t forget the time we had a potluck over-night party with my foodie friends. My friend Graey said she hates cilantro, but she loves this dish. There were only 6 of us but I brought a massive container of this pasta that could feed a dozen people, by the next day it was gone! We ate it all – even had it for it at breakfast the next day!
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