This dish was inspired by a recipe my boyfriend once took home from him from work, in a brief stint as a chef at a mediterranean restaurant. It was so comforting and rich, and we tried to make it again using the same ingredients, but could never get it quite right *as in, he put a 1/3rd block of butter in it, convinced that was the correct quantity, and then was shocked when the sauce ended up being 80% oil, 20% cream* plus, some of the ingredients were pricey, like truffle oil.
So, we decided to concoct our own, much more simple, but just as delicious recipe instead! Some important things to note – we used special orange baby tomatoes, which, I’m sure you have spotted before, are the ones that are about three times the price of any other tomatoes sold, and yet a third of the size. However, we bought them from Lidl. So… paid practically nothing. I would advise you do the same, as you MUST use these, or similar extra special/extra sweet/extra fancy ones. Seriously, do not use salad tomatoes, don’t use the cheap cherry tomatoes, it won’t taste the same, and this was something that really brought the dish together more than anything else. If you choose to use other tomatoes, then don’t blame me if you feel like something is missing from the dish (because it is).
Secondly, in my opinion chanterelle mushrooms are the most exquisitely delicious mushroom that has ever existed on this planet, and so I’d try nab them all up now while they still sell them as they are a super seasonal mushroom. They definitely sell them at Tesco’s (under ‘wild mushrooms’), and Waitrose, but unsure about other places. For the rest of the year, you can buy them dried, but it’s still tricky to find them. If you can’t find them, anything labelled wild European mushrooms will probably do, or porcini mushrooms, but try to avoid Japanese or other asian mushrooms as they have a different flavour profile.
Finally, I used fricielli pasta, which is perfect for this recipe. Unfortunately, this is not such a common pasta to find in supermarkets, and you may have to go to an Italian deli to search for it. I had to bring back mine back from Puglia, so I understand the struggle. If you can’t be bothered to search, substitute it for trofie, conchiglie or fettuccine.
Serves 2
- 4 Caramelised onion sausages, degloved and quartered (horrible word, sorry)
- 2 heaped tsp low fat crème fraîche
- Olive oil
- 100g Chanterelle Mushrooms, washed
- 100g Closed cup mushrooms, washed and sliced
- 170g Fricielli pasta
- 100g finest/supersweet/sugardrop baby tomatoes, halved
- 2 Garlic cloves, crushed
- Salt and pepper
- 25g grated parmesan
- Preheat the oven to 180 degrees.
- Spread the tomatoes on a baking sheet and toss with a tbsp of olive oil, and salt and pepper. Roast in the oven for 10-15 minutes, or until they look burst and swollen.
- Cook the pasta in a pan of boiling salted water and then drain according to the package instructions. Keep a bit of pasta water just in case the recipe needs thinning later.
- Meanwhile, cook the sausages in a large pan at a medium heat with a tsp of olive oil until cooked throughout, maybe 5-7 minutes. Drain a little bit of the juices out the pan, and then add the crushed garlic. Cook for a couple minutes, continuously stirring.
- Then, add the mushrooms. Season with salt and pepper, and cook for around 8 minutes, still stirring regularly. Turn down the heat low.
- Add the pasta and toss with the sauce, and then add the parmesan and crème fraîche and stir. Add a splash of milk or pasta water if needed for consistency.
- Finally, scatter the tomatoes over and any more parmesan if you want, and serve!