07 October 2023 , 15:26
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There are few public figures who are widely agreed to be national treasures - and Mary Berry is without doubt amongst them. Although she is possibly best known for her sweet treats and baking recipes by some, her savoury dishes are also second-to-none and this easy and quick pasta dish is absolutely no exception.
This dish shares some similarities with a midweek go-to for many people, pesto pasta, but it's elevated. All while being simple - there's only four ingredients - and only taking a mere ten minutes to whip up: it's bound to be a crowd-pleaser in your home.
Pistou Linguine, Berry writes on her website, is "classic Provençal sauce" and contains garlic, oil and basil - which is pesto minus the pine nuts and parmesan. This is a recipe, which serves between 4-6 people, you'll be seriously grateful to have in your weekly arsenal.
Ingredients:
- 300g (11oz) linguine pasta
- 25g (1oz) butter
- 500g (1lb 2oz) chestnut mushrooms, sliced
- 75g (3oz) Parmesan cheese, grated
For the sauce:
- 4 tbsp roughly chopped flat-leaf parsley
- 4 tbsp roughly chopped basil
- 2 tbsp roughly snipped chives
- 2 garlic cloves, crushed Juice of 1 lemon (see tip)
- 200g (7oz) full-fat crème fraîche
- Salt and freshly ground black pepper
Kitchen Equipment:
- Food processor
- Saucepan for pasta
- Frying pan for sauce
Once you've gathered everything you need together, you'll start by making your sauce. Place the crème fraîche, garlic, lemon juice and herbs into your food processor and whizz them until everything is "finely chopped". Then once it's finished make sure to use salt and pepper to season to your taste - Berry's top tip is that this sauce can be made a day ahead of schedule if you're crunched for time.
Cook your linguine pasta as directed on the packet (but make sure once it's finished to keep two tablespoons of water back if you like a thick sauce or four if you prefer it thinner) and while it's cooking, heat your butter in your frying pan. Then add the mushrooms at a high heat for around two minutes, before turning the heat right down, covering with a lid and cooking for a further three minutes.
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Then you take the lid off and give the mushrooms another two minute blast on a high heat, so there's no liquid and the mushrooms are golden-coloured. Pop your mushrooms carefully into a bowl using a spoon, then put the pasta water you saved earlier and the pistou sauce into the frying pan until it gets to boiling point.
At this stage you add your pasta into the frying pan too, add some more salt and pepper to taste, and stir it until the contents are heated through and covered in the sauce. Finally, take it off the heat and add your mushrooms and Parmesan, before tucking in.
What did you think of this dish? Let us know in the comments below.