This has got to be the easiest pasta dish I have ever prepared. Usually my pasta dishes are chock-a-block full of ingredients. Mince, prawns, chorizo, onions, vegetables etc etc (not usually all these at once). And lots and lots of sauce.
It was nice not having to do too much prep work beforehand. In any case, I did have a hungry toddler shouting "Dinnertime Mummy!" at me whilst I was cooking. So dinner had to be on the table pronto.
This dish uses the juice and zest of one lemon. I like my pasta savoury, and I wasn't sure how the lemon would complement it. So instead of the juice of an entire lemon, I used half.
Verdict?
Wowsers! This dish knocked my socks off! Its simplicity really shone through. Compared to the tomato based sauce laden pasta I normally prepare, this was light and refreshing. There were only a handful of ingredients, but they complemented each other so well. The lemony taste was mellow, perhaps next time I will juice the whole lemon for comparison.
I might also add that I didn't have any fresh herbs on hand, so I substituted with dried ones. And I didn't have the linguine that the recipe called for, so I used fettucini instead. And I didn't have the chestnut mushrooms, so I used button mushrooms. So you see, it's really a very versatile and forgiving dish. I reckon you could use penne or macaroni and it would still be good.
This dish will have to be on my menu rotation. Or at the very least, be added to my list of dishes I fall back on when I'm cooking for myself.
Recipe from Nigella Express
Ingredients:
- 225g chestnut mushrooms
- 80ml extra virgin olive oil
- 15ml tablespoon Maldon salt or 1.5 teaspoon table salt
- 1 small clove of garlic, crushed
- zest and juice of 1 lemon
- 4 sprigs fresh thyme, leaves stripped
- 500g linguine (or pasta of your choice)
- fresh parsley, chopped
- grated Parmesan
- freshly ground pepper
Method:
- Slice mushrooms and toss into a large bowl with the oil, salt, garlic, lemon juice, zest and thyme leaves.
- Cook pasta, drain it, then add it to the mushroom mixture.
- Toss everything well, then add parsley, Parmesan and pepper to taste.
- Serves 4-6.
Happy cooking!
