Mushroom and Herb Pasta with Vegan Cashew Cream Sauce

The nutty cream sauce in this dish is so deliciously rich and creamy that its hard to believe it is entirely dairy-free and vegan! – trust me you won’t even miss the cream or cheese!

INGREDIENTS

Cashew cream sauce

olive oil 1 tablespoon

onion 1, diced

1 cup Farm Fresh Nuts Raw Cashews

salt ½ teaspoon

vegetable stock powder ½ teaspoon

garlic 1 small clove

lemon juice 2 tablespoons

soy sauce 1 tablespoon

water ¾ cup

Pasta and Mushrooms

fresh pasta 400g (or 250g dried pasta) (egg-free and gluten-free if required)

olive oil 2 tablespoons

swiss brown button mushrooms 400g, sliced

garlic 2 cloves, chopped

thyme leaves 2 tablespoons finely chopped

chives 1/3 cup finely chopped + extra for garnish

flat-leaf parsley 3-4 tablespoons finely chopped + extra for garnish

METHOD

To make the cashew cream sauce, heat olive oil in a fry pan on low medium heat. Cook onion very gently, avoiding getting any colour on them, for about 2 minutes, until starting to soften. Transfer onion to a food processor or high speed blender, along with remaining sauce ingredients and blend until very smooth and creamy – this will take at least a few minutes. Scrape down the sides of the processor/blender with a spatula as needed. Add a bit more water or milk as required (probably about ¼ cup) to achieve a pouring cream consistency.

Bring a large pot of salted water to the boil for the pasta. Heat olive oil in a large fry pan on medium heat. Cook mushrooms, with a good pinch of salt, for about 3 minutes until starting to soften – if they are getting a bit dry, you can add a tablespoon or two of white wine or vegetable stock and they will soak it up, helping to keep them soft and moist. Add garlic and thyme to the mushrooms, and continue to cook for a further 1 minute. Set aside one third of the cooked mushroom mixture (this will be used for garnishing later).

Cook pasta according to packet instructions until al dente (just cooked through). Add cashew cream sauce to the mushrooms in the pan and bring to a gentle simmer to heat through. Turn off the heat and stir through chives and parsley.

Scoop out about 1/3 cup of pasta cooking water and stir into the sauce. Drain pasta and divide between serving bowls. Spoon over cashew cream sauce and garnish with extra cooked mushrooms, chives, parsley and basil leaves (if using). Serve with rocket salad, dressed with avocado/olive oil and balsamic, on the side.

*To soften cashew nuts, either soak them in cold water overnight, or you can boil them in water for 10-15 minutes. Drain well before using.
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