I'm a little bit mushroom obsessed at the moment! My local supermarket have begun to stock so many new varieties. King Oysters are one of my favourites. I love to use them in stir fries, thread them onto skewers and use them as meat replacements in recipes. In this recipe they make a brilliant, smokey alternative to ham in carbonara. 

INGREDIENTS

150g spaghetti (I used gluten free)

2 king oyster mushrooms

1 teaspoon tamari sauce

1 teaspoon balsamic vinegar 

1 teaspoon Italian Herbs

5 drops hickory smoke

1 clove garlic (crushed or finely chopped)

3 tbsp nutritional yeast 

100g cashews 

Juice of half a lemon

1/2 teaspoon vegan bouillon powder

Black pepper and fresh basil to season

METHOD

Boil a pan of water, add a couple of pinches of salt and the spaghetti

Soak the cashews in 300ml of boiling water. Add the nutritional yeast, vegan bouillon and juice of half a lemon

Slice the king oyster mushrooms lengthways. Heat a teaspoon of olive oil in a pan. Once sizzling, carefully add the mushrooms and sprinkle over salt, then drizzle over the tamari, balsamic vinegar and Italian herbs. After a couple of minutes add the hickory smoke. Turn over until golden brown on both sides

Meanwhile blitz the soaked cashews until they form a smooth cream

Drain the pasta when cooked but al dente. Add to the pan of mushrooms, add the crushed garlic clove and pour the cashew cream over the pasta. Warm over a low heat, stirring well

Serve with black pepper and basil