Vegan Wild Mushroom Fusilli
Ingredients
- 80 g cashews (raw, unsalted)
- 175 ml water
- 20 g dried wild mushrooms
- 200 g fusilli
- 50 g vegan butter
- 1/2 white onion (finely chopped)
- 2 cloves garlic (peeled and finely crushed)
- pinch flaky sea salt
- 1/2 tsp ground black pepper
- 5 tbsp dry white wine (make sure it's vegan)
- 1 tbsp fresh parsley (finely chopped)
Preparation
The night before making, cover the cashews in water and leave to soak
Alternatively you can boil the cashews over a medium/low heat for 5 minutes or until soft
Once the cashews are soft, drain them of their soaking/boiling water and place them in the cup of a high-speed blender
Add the 150ml of water and blend on the highest speed until you have a very smooth cashew cream
It should be around the consistency of double cream
In a mug, cover the dried mushrooms with boiling water and leave to soak for at least 2 minutes
Boil the fusilli in liberally salted water until al dente
If the pasta is ready before the sauce, drain it but keep the pasta water
Toss the pasta in a little olive oil to stop it sticking together
To make the sauce, heat the vegan butter in a skillet or frying pan over medium heat until melted
Add the onion and fry for a few minutes until turning translucent
Add the garlic and fry for a few minutes more
Do not allow the onions or garlic to brown
Drain the mushrooms but reserve their soaking water
Chop the mushrooms very finely before adding to the frying pan and stirring well
Season with the salt and pepper
Without stirring, remove around four tbsp of the mushroom soaking water
Mix it with the white wine and add to the frying pan
Reduce the heat to medium/low and allow the sauce to simmer until nicely reduced
Add a large ladle of the reserved pasta water (around 200ml) and simmer again, stirring often, until reduced by about half
Stir well before adding the cashew cream
Whisk to combine and allow to simmer one more time on a low heat until glossy and thick enough to coat pasta
Remove from the heat
Dress the pasta with the sauce before serving and sprinkle with chopped parsley and a little extra