Alfredo but with all the fixins! Mushrooms, peas, fresh chillies and of course, extra parmesan.
I love pasta.
In particular, I love cream-based pasta dishes, though it’s a rare day that would see me turning any kind of pasta dish away.
My sister used to make the best chicken and mushroom fettuccini alfredo, but she would only make it for family gatherings or special occasions. This meant that I didn’t get to have it nearly as much as I would have liked…
I am not exaggerating when I tell you that I would willingly and happily eat that pasta dish every. single. day.
I’m not sure how I came to be by myself in the house on that Sunday morning, but by myself I was. With leftovers of that magical pasta in the fridge from the family gathering the night before.
I cannot properly convey the absolute glee I felt as I heated up a huge bowlful of pasta FOR BREAKFAST, sitting cross-legged on the couch and watching music videos.
Glee, I tell you.
In part because I got to have the leftovers before anyone else, and in part because I would never have been allowed to have pasta for breakfast.
My sister’s chicken and mushroom fettuccini alfredo may not be the first dish I learnt to make, but it is the dish that first sparked my interest in cooking… If I knew how to make it, I wouldn’t have to wait for her to make it, now would I?
Oh, and earlier I said that she used to make it…
So until I find out whether she’s lost the recipe or forgotten all about it in favour of newer dishes, have this version instead, Spaghetti Alfredo with Mushrooms and Peas. It’s a little less luxurious, good for an every-day, quick dinner and not just for a special occasion, minus the chicken, which you could absolutely sauté and add in, a handful of peas, which you could substitute for any other vegetable, and a lot of chilli, because why not.
Spaghetti Alfredo with Mushrooms, Peas and Chillies
Ingredients
- 65 g unsalted butter, divided
- 2 garlic cloves, minced and divided
- 8 swiss brown mushrooms, cleaned and quartered
- 500 g spaghetti
- 1 cup frozen peas
- 300 ml thickened cream or half-and-half
- 200 g parmesan cheese, freshly grated
- ½ teaspoon fine sea salt
- ¼ teaspoon black pepper
- ¼ teaspoon nutmeg
- 2 long red chillies, finely sliced
- Parsley, chopped, to serve
Instructions
- Over medium heat, melt 15g of the butter in a small pan and saute one of the garlic cloves until fragrant, around 30 seconds. Add the mushrooms and cook, stirring occasionally, until they start to slightly caramelise around the edges, around 10 minutes. Set aside.65 g unsalted butter, 2 garlic cloves, 8 swiss brown mushrooms
- Cook the spaghetti in a large pot of salted water according to the packet’s directions. Add the frozen peas into the water during the last two minutes of cooking. Drain and set aside.500 g spaghetti, 1 cup frozen peas
- In the meantime, to start on the sauce, melt 50g of the butter in a large, high-sided skillet, over medium heat. Add the last garlic clove and sauté for 1 minute or until fragrant and lightly browned.65 g unsalted butter, 2 garlic cloves
- Whisk the cream into the butter and garlic until combined. Heat until the cream begins to simmer, around 4 minutes, whisking every now and then.300 ml thickened cream or half-and-half
- Add the freshly grated parmesan, salt, pepper and nutmeg and whisk to combine.200 g parmesan cheese, ½ teaspoon fine sea salt, ¼ teaspoon black pepper, ¼ teaspoon nutmeg
- Cook the sauce until it thickens and coats the back of a spoon, around 4 minutes, again whisking occasionally.
- Toss the cooked mushrooms through the sauce and then add the cooked spaghetti and peas, as well as the chilli. Stir gently to cover the pasta with sauce and then check the seasoning. Scatter with chopped parsley and serve immediately.2 long red chillies, Parsley
