SJ’s Mushroom Carbonara

Here’s a great vegetarian recipe given to us by SJ, the COOK chef behind so many of our recipes. It’s a great option for Valentine’s Day, if you fancy flexing your culinary muscles. Plus, it only takes about 20 minutes to make.

Ingredients

Serves 2

• 15g butter

• 1 tbsp olive oil

• 1 shallot, chopped finely

• 1-2 garlic cloves, crushed

• 200g linguine

• 125g sliced mixed mushrooms (we suggest chestnut, Portobello and wild mushrooms)

• 5 shredded fresh sage leaves

• 1 medium egg, beaten

• A splash of double cream (optional)

• 50g vegetarian Italian hard cheese (made into shavings with a peeler)

• Truffle oil, for drizzling

Method

• Put a good-sized frying pan over a medium to high heat, add the butter and olive oil, and fry the shallot until softened and golden. Then add the garlic and fry for under a minute.

• Add the sage, Portobello and chestnut mushrooms to the pan, fry for 2-3 minutes then add the wild mushrooms (if using) and fry for 1-2 minutes longer until golden and tender.

• Meanwhile, cook the pasta in boiling salted water for 10-12 minutes until al dente. Drain and return to the saucepan.

• Quickly mix the beaten egg (add a little cream if you want to make it a bit more saucy) into the hot saucepan with the pasta, stirring vigorously to coat all the strands, then add the mushroom and shallot mix along with the grated hard cheese. Season with lots of black pepper, then serve. Drizzle with truffle oil to make it extra special.

Serve with a watercress salad and a cold glass of white wine, like Pinot Grigio.