More then a year ago I had introduced you to Mushroom Duxelles, a mixture of finely chopped Mushrooms shallots and herbs. Back then I had shared my stuffed Tomatoes a la Duxelles at Cafe Terra blog, so a recipe was never shared here at Masala Herb. Mushroom Duxelles is usually used for stuffing’s and the most known dish stuffed with Duxelles is Beef Wellington. You might have come across a Duxelles preparation before in Restaurants since it appears in sauces and in pastries.
Different type of mushrooms can be used for the mixture, of course only edible ones, so instead of the common button mushroom you could play around with chanterelle mushrooms or certain types of wild forest mushrooms. The technique is simple and easy to recreate, all that with minimum ingredients involved, which on top of that provides a satisfying taste result for your senses. Therefore, I frequently end up cooking something a la Duxelles because the ingredients required are usually almost always available even in hot tropical India. Only Parsley can be scarce in he market at times and that exactly was the case a few months ago when I noticed while preparing a pasta sauce duxelles that I was out of Parsley.
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Yes, this happens and in the hurry another option or “substitute” has to be found. Guess what, I found a great solution that even gives a texture to the whole Duxelles Sauce and which was quite satisfying and interesting at the same time! So, I left out the Parsley and just sautéed the finely chopped mushrooms and shallots until all liquids had evaporated, seasoned, then deglazed the mixture with white wine, continued pouring in some veg stock and tomato puree, cooked the fine mixture a bit more, so to top my precooked pasta with the sauce. The new ingredient was added as a garnish, namely toasted chopped Cashew nuts.
We are in a Cashew Nut Country, so quality nuts are common here. Do you remember my Cashew nut and fruit post a few months ago? Back then I showed you how to roast the nuts the traditional Goan local way. Today we won’t use that method since I used deshelled Cashew nuts, precisely the once you can easily buy in your grocery shop. That should simplify and fast track the making of the mushroom duxelles pasta sauce. The Sauce is nothing without the chopped toasted cashew nut topping, so don’t forget adding the nuts at the end before serving. You will enjoy the recipe mostly as a weeknight dinner idea and it’s quick preparation will save you a good amount of time whenever you are in a hurry.
More Pasta sauce weeknight dinner ideas.
- 200 grams mushrooms
- 2 small shallots
- 2 Tablespoons Butter
- pinch Salt
- pinch Pepper
- pinch freshly grated Nutmeg
- 100 milliliter White Wine
- 100 milliliter Veg stock or 100 milliliter water + ½ Veg stock cube
- 100 milliliter Tomato Paste
- 40 grams Cashew nuts
- Rinse your mushrooms and chop them very fine. Chop your shallot fine too. Add 2 Tablespoons of Butter to a pot and heat up. Add in the chopped mushroom, shallot, salt, pepper and grated nutmeg and cook on medium to lower heat until all the liquids have evaporated. Stir frequently.
- Once all the liquids have disappeared, deglaze with the white wine. Let it cook again for a few minutes until nearly all wine has evaporated and then pour in the Veg stock and Tomato Paste. Stir and let it cook for a few more minutes.
- Chop your Cashew nuts and quickly toast them dry in a pan by stirring frequently. They are ready when you get a nutty warm aroma and when they change a bit to a golden shade.
- Serve the Sauce on top of Pasta and finish with the toasted and crisp chopped cashew nuts.
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With the combo of mushroom and cashew…the sauce must be divine!
John’s not fond of pasta but he loves mushrooms and cashews – I think I might have found something to push him over to the dark side of pasta. 🙂 It sounds delicious and looks lovely, Helene.
Helene – I love the addition of cashews to the sauce; it sounds fantastic. My DH will love this since he is a huge fan of cashews and mushrooms 🙂
I’ve never used cashews in a pasta sauce! Great idea, and I’ll bet the flavor works so well with mushrooms. Really terrific recipe – thanks.
The cashew nuts topping sounds like a very original and delicious idea. I wonder if there are any typical Goan mushrooms (edible of course 😉 ) you have discovered.
What a tasty dish, Helene! I love duxelles but I’ve never just put it straight on pasta. Bet this was delicious!
Love your pasta sauce here with the lovely mushrooms and cashews.So different and sounds absolutely delicious!!I’m always on the lookout for exciting pasta sauces since its a weekly staple in our house,and cannot wait to try it 🙂
What a great idea, and recipe Helene! I love it not only because we are celebrating National Mushroom Month here in the states but because it has cashews in it too!!!
Thank you so much for sharing…
What a lovely looking pasta dish. I love mushrooms and they’re a great meat substitute. I know everyone in my family would love this dish. You’re fortunate to have nuts in abundance xx
Love this recipe, Helene. I could pretend to be a gourmet chef making this dish! I’m toying, too, with the idea of using shitake or Portobello mushrooms. The cashew garnish will definitely be remembered =)
Wow, This sauce looks so creamy and delicious! I love anything with mushrooms, a must try!
I’ve never thought to combine mushrooms and cashews. What a brilliant idea! This looks just delicious. Thank you for sharing!
Perfect! I have some mushrooms left from lasagna I need to use up… I’ll definitely be making this! Thank you!
A wonderful sauce! mushrooms taste so good and particularly when prepared in that manner.
Cheers,
Rosa
I love pasta sauces that are light and still creamy. Love the use of cashews here. Yum!
What a great pasta sauce! So full of nutrition!
We love pasta and I’m always on the lookout of great new sauce ideas! yum!
I made sure that lovely recipe is on my recipe index under guest blogs, it is so gorgeous! Love this version, and your addition of cashews sounds wonderful! Beautiful, Hugs, Terra
Substituting cashew nuts for parsley – now that’s a new one on me. Never would have thought of that one. 🙂 Mushrooms and shallots is a heavenly combination and the cashews added to it – WOW! What a dish! Great little creation you have here Helene!
My best friend loves mushroom so this is a good one to try.