Mushroom & Walnut Spaghetti
One pan, no draining - spaghetti cooked straight in a deep, savoury mushroom and walnut sauce that tastes like it took all day.
Serves: 2
Prep time: 15 minutes
Cook time: 25 minutes
INGREDIENTS
1/3 cup dried forest mushrooms
1 cup boiling water
1/2 cup walnuts, toasted and finely chopped
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 large brown onion, finely chopped
1 large pinch of salt
3 garlic cloves, peeled and finely sliced
1 tablespoon fresh oregano, finely chopped
1 tablespoon fresh rosemary, finely chopped
1/3 cup white wine
1 Continental Stock Pot Sensations vegetable stock (you can sub this out for a teaspoon of your fave vegetable stock)
500ml water
200-250g spaghetti
parmesan rind (optional, for a richer sauce)
extra virgin olive oil, for garnish
lemon zest, for garnish
extra parmesan, for garnish
METHOD
Start by soaking the dried forest mushrooms. Place them in a bowl and pour the boiling water over them. Set aside to rehydrate for about 10-15 minutes.
In a pan large and deep enough to make a bit of sauce, but also hold the pasta lengthways AND with a tight-fitting lid, add the olive oil and saute the onion with the pinch of salt over medium heat. Cook for about 5 minutes, or until the onion is softened and slightly golden.
Add the garlic, oregano and rosemary to the pan. Saute for a further 2 minutes, until aromatic.
Finely chop the rehydrated mushrooms and add them to the pan along with the chopped walnuts. Saute for another few minutes.
Increase the heat to high and deglaze the pan with the white wine.
If you have a section of parmesan rind, add it to the pan at this point for a richer sauce.
Stir in the stock pot jelly, the water used to soak the mushrooms, and the additional 500ml of water. Mix everything well.
Nestle the spaghetti into the simmering sauce, ensuring it's mostly submerged. Place the lid on the pan, reduce the heat to medium-low, and cook for approximately 10 minutes, or until the pasta is just al dente. Shake the pan gently halfway through to ensure all ends of the spaghetti are immersed in the liquid.
Once the pasta is cooked, remove the lid, toss the spaghetti through the sauce, and serve drizzled with extra virgin olive oil, lemon zest and extra parmesan.
HINTS
The mushroom soaking water is half the flavour - it goes into the pan, never down the sink.
The lid and the halfway shake are what stop the spaghetti clumping, and the starch it releases is what turns the liquid into sauce.
Any dried mushrooms work - porcini, shiitake, whatever the pantry holds - and the fine walnut mince gives it a savoury heft that wins over the sceptics.
NUTRITION (per recipe total, serves 2 - guide only):
Energy: approximately 7000kJ (1675 calories)
Protein: 42g
Fat: 75g
Saturated fat: 11g
Carbohydrates: 180g
Sugars: 10g
Fibre: 14g
Sodium: 2500mg
This nutrition information is a guide only and may vary depending on brands, exact quantities, and ingredient substitutions used.