One of the things we missed the most after we decided to pursue a vegan, gluten-free diet was Italian food. The cuisine is hearty and delicious, but most restaurants serve it with huge dollops of cheese (not to mention pasta made from whole wheat flour and eggs). What’s an Italian food lover to do? Fortunately, October happens to be mushroom season where we live. Chanterelles were on sale at our local supermarket for an insanely low price, and we had a brainstorm. After some deliberation, we were able to whip up this simple, but elegant dish. It’s inexpensive, a cinch to prepare, and will fill you up on a chilly autumnal evening.
INGREDIENTS
2 cups chopped chanterelle mushrooms
1 cup chopped white mushrooms
1/4 teaspoon sea salt (not iodized)
1/4 cup olive oil
1-2 cloves chopped garlic
1/2 cup fresh chopped Italian parsley (If you have trouble finding Italian parsley at your supermarket or co-op, try this dish with chopped basil, instead! Yum!)
Pinch or two of hot pepper flakes
Pinch or two of fresh ground pepper
1/4 cup water
3 cups cooked, gluten-free fettucine (we used a brown rice variety that turned out perfectly!)
INSTRUCTIONS
Place the mushrooms, sea salt, olive oil, garlic, parsley, water, red pepper flakes, salt, and pepper into a large saucepan and cook at low heat for 15-20 minutes. Do not overcook, or the mushrooms will get mushy. They should retain a slight springiness.
Meanwhile, cook the pasta in a large pan according to package directions. Add a splash of the cooking water to the mushroom mixture and drain the rest of the pasta. Pour the noodles into the pan with the mushroom mixture and stir gently until everything is thoroughly combined and all the water has evaporated. Turn off the burner, remove your delectable concoction from the stove and toss the mushrooms and the pasta together a couple of times to remove excess moisture. Scoop onto plates and serve! If you have any vegan mozzarella or parmesan cheese, you can sprinkle it on top. Otherwise, you’re going to be just fine without it.
This wonderful dish serves 3-4 people. It’s great by itself as a light dinner. For a more robust meal, add a salad and/or a loaf of gluten-free bread. Maybe some gluten-free beer or red wine? Go wild! Leftovers store well in a covered container in your refrigerator for up to three days and taste great reheated. We’re quite sure they won’t last that long.
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, which are available at Costco)
for this, in fact we use our enameled dutch ovens for almost everything!) heat the olive oil over medium heat. Add the chopped onions and cook, stirring occasionally, until softened and translucent.