Wild Mushroom Fettucini with Wilted Spinach Salad

Every now and then, we have a craving for pasta with a rich cream sauce. Living in the Pacific Northwest, we have a great selection of wild mushrooms available at local farmer’s markets and sometimes regular grocery stores. We are quite blessed! So now we just need to prepare a thick dairy-free alfredo sauce that will go perfectly with our mushroom medley!

To balance rich pasta with something fresh, I suggest my signature wilted spinach salad. It is fresh, vibrant in color, has the right amount of acidity to help break down the cream. It is a perfect combination in my book! These 2 dishes don’t take much time to prepare but the only challenge is the timing. As long as you work fast and get things lined up in the right order, you will be fine. In real estate, they say that it is all about location, location, location. When it comes to cooking this meal, it is all about preparation, preparation, preparation!

1. Cook the pasta
Cook the pasta according to package instructions. For this recipe, it should be al dente, slightly firm. The trick is that when it is almost completely done (taste to be sure but don’t burn your fingers or your tongue in the process!), save 1 cup of the cooking water. Pour out most of the water and rinse under cold water until the noodles are warm to the touch. This will stop the cooking. Pour 1/2 Tbl of oil and mix with hands to prevent from sticking. Put aside and get started on the sauce. One down, 3 to go!

2. Prepare the mushroom sauce
First, let’s make the cream:
Blend 1 cup of raw cashew nuts with 2 cups of broth in a blender (or you can use plain water too). Add some salt if you are using water. Add some black pepper and garlic powder. Make sure that the liquid is smooth (no small pieces of nuts should be left). Taste and season. Pour into a small pan and set aside.

3. Pan Fry the mushrooms

1. Gently clean the mushrooms. Any type will do (porcini, portobellos, white caps etc.) and cut in half if they are small or slice the shrooms, as we call them at home.
2. In a frying pan, put 1 Tbl vegetable oil, 1-2 cloves of minced garlic over medium heat. Make sure that it doesn’t burn.
3. Add the mushrooms making sure that they are not too crowded.
4. Add 2 Tbl balsamic vinegar and quickly mix it into the mushrooms to make them sweat and caramelize. Don’t overcook, they are full of water and only need a little tenderizing.
5. Taste, add some salt if you need it. Remove from heat and put aside.

Putting it all together

1. Heat up the cashew cream sauce over medium heat. Using a wooden spoon, gently stir the sauce until it thickens a little. As soon as you see that it does, remove it from heat.
2. Place the pasta in a large frying pan, mix the caramelized mushrooms, then pour the sauce over and gently mix for a minute or so. Immediately serve. Save some cream sauce and mushrooms because you will be asked for seconds. Guaranteed!

4. Wilted Spinach salad
Looks and tastes fancy but it is so easy to make and preserves most of the nutrient in the spinach. The trick is to heat 2-3 Tbl of extra virgin olive oil (regular olive oil will also do, but treat yourself to good things from time to time). I know, virgin olive oil should be consumed cold, but it is also nice now and then heated.

1. Place the washed and dried spinach in a large bowl
2. Slice some red onion thinly if you like raw onions
3. Sprinkle some pine nuts and some nutritional yeast (1-2 Tbl)
4. Heat up the oil in your smallest pan, on high heat for less than a minute depending on how quickly your stove heats up. Watch it because it happens very quickly. Don’t let it smoke. It is all in the timing.
5. Pour it immediately over the spinach and quickly mix it until all the leaves are coated and shiny.
6. Sprinkle with a little lemon juice and serve.

Bon appétit!

Wild Mushroom Fettucini with Wilted Spinach Salad

 

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Prep time

10 mins

Cook time

20 mins

Total time

30 mins

 

Author: Chef Sophie

Recipe type: Entree

Cuisine: French

Serves: 4

Ingredients

• 1-2 cups fresh mushrooms (porcini, portobellos, white caps etc.)
• Tbsp vegetable oil
• 1-2 cloves of minced garlic
• Sea salt
• 2 Tbsp balsamic vinegar
• Cream sauce:
• 1 cup of raw cashew nuts
• 2 cups of water or vegetable broth.
• Salt (if you are using water)
• 1 tsp black pepper
• 1 tsp garlic powder.
• Spinach salad:
• 2-4 cups fresh spinach
• ½ cup finely minced shallots or red onion
• 3 tbsp nutritional yeast
• Sea salt & black pepper

Instructions

1. Cook pasta according to package instructions for al dente.
2. Prepare the mushrooms
3. Gently wash the mushrooms and cut in half if they are small. You can also slice them if you prefer.
4. In a frying pan, put 1 Tbsp vegetable oil, 1-2 cloves of minced garlic over medium heat. Make sure that it doesn’t burn, it doesn't take long.
5. Add the mushrooms making sure that they are evenly spread and not too crowded.
6. Sprinkle some salt.
7. Add 2 Tbsp of balsamic vinegar and quickly mix the mushrooms to make them sweat and begin to have a nice darker coating. Don’t overcook, you still want them to hold their shape.
8. Taste, add some salt if you need it. Remove from heat and put aside.
9. Prepare the white cream sauce:
10. Pour cashews, water, salt, pepper and garlic powder into a blender and run for a minute until you have smooth liquid and no trace of nuts is visible.
11. Heat up the cashew cream sauce over medium heat. Using a wooden spoon, gently stir the sauce until it thickens a little. As soon as you see that it does, remove from heat.
12. Place the pasta in a large frying pan, first add and mix the mushrooms, then pour the sauce over and gently mix for a minute or so. Immediately serve.
13. Save some cream sauce and mushrooms because you will be asked for seconds. Guaranteed!
14. Wilted Spinach salad:
15. Looks and tastes fancy but it is so easy to make and preserves most of the nutrient in the spinach.
16. Heat 2-3 Tbsp of olive oil, sprinkle a little salt. Don't let it burn.
17. Place the washed and dried spinach in a large bowl
18. Thinly slice some shallots or red onion.
19. Sprinkle pine nuts and nutritional yeast.
20. Heat up the oil in your smallest pan, on high heat for less than a minute depending on how quickly your stove heats up. Watch it because it happens very quickly. Don’t let it smoke. It is all in the timing.
21. Pour it immediately over the spinach and quickly mix it until all the leaves are coated and shinny.
22. Sprinkle with a little lemon juice (optional) and serve.

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