Sunday, October 28, 2012

Shiitake Mushroom Spaghetti



I know you have all had a dish or two or perhaps three (smile) that are simply delicious.  Typically it is not the dish that has a million ingredients but rather a few perfect ingredients that combined together are “awe inspiring” to your taste buds.  It is a combination perfect in many ways.  From the flavor profiles to the textures to the satisfaction that it brings to your mind, body and soul – I deem those dishes – Simply Sublime.  


Speaking of simply sublime, I am introducing a new weekly series to my blog aptly called – “Simply Sublime”.  This series will be a weekend series that will appear either on Saturday or Sunday each week.  It will be dishes that I have made that are worthy of being called Simply Sublime.  Dishes that awake the taste buds that in turn make me & hubby smile along with not being complicated will earn a starring role in this exciting new series.


To kick off this exciting new series, I am going to share a simple dish that has now become a favorite for me and hubby.  Hubby typically always like a rich, thick red sauce to adorn his pasta, however, a pasta with garlicky olive oil and parmesan cheese is now a staple in his menu of favorites.  In the past, I have made it with the addition of red pepper flakes and/or chopped green olives.  My latest version is made with the ever so flavorful shiitake mushroom.  Of course the addition of garlic and parmesan push this dish to the simply sublime category.  Check it out for yourself!


Shiitake Mushroom Spaghetti

Serves four

1 Lb. Dried Spaghetti
3 Cup Fresh Shiitake Mushrooms, de-stemmed
8 Garlic Cloves, minced
½ Cup Flat Leaf Italian Parsley, rough chop
¾ Cup Olive Oil, Extra Virgin
Salt and Pepper
Grated Parmesan Cheese

Cook the dried pasta according to the package until it is al dente.  Remove and drain quickly.  In the meantime, use ¼ cup of extra virgin olive oil and place into a large skillet.  Heat on medium for a few minutes then add the de-stemmed shitake mushrooms and cook for 4 to 5 minutes.  Remove and add to a small bowl.

Add the ½ cup extra virgin olive oil and heat on medium.  Add the minced garlic and cooked shitake mushrooms.  Heat for 1 to 2 minutes.  Add the cooked spaghetti and toss together with the oil, mushrooms and garlic.  Taste and then season with salt and pepper.  Toss in the flat leaf parsley.  Add to individual bowls or one large bowl.  Add desired amount of parmesan cheese to taste.  Enjoy!

Note:  If you can't find fresh Shiitake Mushrooms, you can use the dried version. Simply rehydrate into hot water until soft then de-stem and cook according to the recipe.


18 comments:

  1. Simply sublime, indeed! I wish I had a plate of this pasta in front of me right now. :D

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  2. Love, love, love mushrooms - this looks so good, Lisa! Simply Sublime...I like it! Happy Sunday :)

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  3. This is absolutely wonderful, I can almost taste it! Have never thought to feature this variety of mushies on it's own in pasta. Thanks for the inspiration!

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  4. A wonderful Fall pasta that uses one of my fave foods in the world - mushrooms! I can eat ALL types of mushrooms, believe me! Shall I say it now? This is simply sublime!

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  5. Lisa, your pasta looks delish! I need to make this for my family soon. My 8 year old, Lilah is wild for shitakes. She'd give me huge hugs if I made this for supper.
    Hope you have a good week! xo
    E

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  6. Gorgeous Lisa! Loving the new series;-) The more mushroom inspired dishes...the better;-)

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  7. Made something very like this awhile back, kind'of on the spur of the moment, and absolutely loved it! Shiitake are so very special . . . oh, I can access them eaily except my purse tends to pull it strings tight just as I go to bag some . . . :) !

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  8. Dear Lisa,
    Thank you for posting this recipe, I love shiitake mushrooms (this is one of the top anti-cancer food type!). Will do the shiitake pasta tonight and share the experience! Sublime and Simple, how inspirational...

    Indeed, some time ago, I attended cooking classes while on vacation in France, and the essence was that sublime would not necessarily mean using complicated cooking methods or including many ingredients:-)

    Last weekend, I started reading the 15 Minute Meals book of Jamie Oliver and for the time being, it's my major source of inpiration on how to reinvent my cooking approach so that I (and the family) get more fun for less time. Recently, I also experimented with his 30 min meal and the results were rewarding. Of course, the first time it could never be 30 min long (as I had to spend some time on thinking/rethinking of what to do next in the process), but I learnt a lot and the second time I managed to make a 3 course menu using exactly 30 minutes. The meal included: veg lasagne (I'd say a bit more complicated), Tuscan tomato salad (simple and subblime)and quick mango frozen yoghurt (simple and sublime).

    Here is the link to the video, just in case you feel interested in the 30 min idea:

    http://cooking1o1.blogspot.nl/2011/04/jamie-30-minute-meals-s01e16-summer-veg.html

    From here, you get a reliable access to youtube (the youtube link itself looks like a bit user-unfriendly, so I do not post it directly).

    Greetings from Europe!

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  9. Another great idea for a series! I love shiitake mushrooms in pasta, too, but I've only ever roasted them. Will try this way next time. Sublime is the word, for sure! This looks fantastic.

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  10. Your right this does look simply sublime I want to go and make some right away. Thanks for sharing such a delicious and simple recipe I look forward to more!

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  11. Wow, the pictures look amazing. This really is my kind of recipe: not overly complicated but super delicious. I wanna eat this, now!

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  12. This is my kind of pasta dish. I love mushrooms - this is just so simple, and delicious. Love the new series!

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  13. I love shiitake mushrooms, this does look sublime!

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  14. Oh my goodness! This looks absolutely delicious!!! Cant wait to try this recipe! :)

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  15. Love the new series idea, and really love this pasta dish! heaven on a plate!

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  16. I enjoy reading a lot and your stories are worth reading, nice blog, keep it up.

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  17. Wow, I can't wait to try this recipe! I am already in the cellar looking for a great Pinot noir to pair with it!

    ~Pamela Heiligenthal
    http://enobytes.com

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