Answer to laziness? Why, more carbs, of course.

March 17, 2009 § Leave a comment

Anyone who knows me moderately well can tell you about my obsession with anything [more like anyone] British. It’s the accent, the sarcastic humor, the cute names for everything [ex: jumbleberry crumble], that laidback poshness. Sadly, I’ve never actually been to England [though next spring break may change that], but I live vicariously through Nigella Lawson by watching her videos on Youtube.

Even though she’s known as a “domestic goddess,” I think she’s also one of the laziest and most clumsy cooks on television, though it makes me love her even more. Her dishes are sometimes so simple that you really don’t need a recipe, and there’s no fuss for which, as a poor college student who hates spending money on random ingredients, I am grateful.

Linguine with thyme mushrooms is such a dish. I think button mushrooms are probably one of the most versatile ingredients you can have. Throw them into pasta sauce for an extra meatiness or sautee them with the pan drippings of your steak to make them even more rich. There’s really nothing like a bunch of mushrooms to add more to your food. What makes this dish even better is butter. And lots of it. Sometimes, you just have to indulge. Or, if you’re Nigella, every meal is already an indulgence.

Linguine with Thyme Mushrooms (adapted from Nigella Lawson)

1/2 pound of button or chestnut mushrooms

1 pound of linguine

1 clove of garlic, minced

1/2 red onion, sliced

1 lemon, zest and juice

1 tablespoon of fresh thyme

olive oil

*optional: extra virgin olive oil for last minute drizzling

salt and pepper
garnish: handful of chopped parsley and shaved Parmesan

Cook pasta according to instructions. Make sure you salt the water, and before you add the linguine, drizzle a bit of olive oil into the pot to prevent the pasta from sticking together. Retain some of the pasta water and loosely drain the linguine when al dente, with a little bite.

Meanwhile, heat a sautee pan to medium-high and add 1-2 tablespoons of olive oil. Add onions and sweat until they become soft. Add garlic and when golden, then add mushrooms, making sure they are spread evenly and brown them, stirring occasionally. When the moisture has been extracted, salt and pepper to taste. Add lemon juice and zest, thyme and stir, scraping up any bits from the bottom of the pan. When pasta is done, add to the mushrooms with a little of the pasta water (this is basically your sauce) and stir everything together before plating. Garnish with parsley and Parmesan. You can also drizzle in a bit of extra virgin olive oil for more fruitiness.

Tagged: linguine with mushrooms, nigella lawson, recipe

Notes on Food