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BABY BELLAS MUSHROOM ORZO
Use orzo or trofie pasta for a hearty meal with minimum ingredients and maximum flavor. Creminis, a.k.a. Baby Portabellas, a.k.a. Baby Bellas, onions, and garlic, sauté up for a delicious thick sauce with a meaty bite.
INGREDIENTS
1 tbsp/15 ml olive oil
1 tbsp/15 ml plant-based butter
1 large onion, sliced
2 whole garlic cloves, or to taste
16 oz/454 grams cremini mushrooms,
also known as Baby ‘Bellas’ Portabellas, sliced
2 ½ -3 cups/625-700 ml vegetable stock, heated
1 tbsp/15 ml fresh thyme, chopped
Salt and pepper, to taste
8 oz/224 g uncooked orzo or trofie pasta
METHOD
In a large pot of boiling salted water, cook the orzo or trofie pasta until slightly tender. Drain the pasta, pour it back into the empty pot, and put the lid on to keep warm while you prepare the sauce.
Add the oil, butter, and sauté onions and garlic until soft and translucent in a large skillet, about 5 minutes. Add the sliced mushrooms and sauté on low until mushrooms start to brown. Turn the heat up to medium and continue to sauté until the mixture is golden brown and sticks to the bottom of the pan. Reduce heat to low, and deglaze the pan by adding ½ cup/125 ml of the 3 cups/700 ml of heated vegetable stock at a time. Reduce by half before adding more stock. The stock will absorb the flavorful bits from the bottom of the pan as it reduces. Repeat for the balance of the stock. Remove the pan from the heat.
Remove some of the sauteed mushroom mixture for garnish, and keep warm. Transfer half the remaining mushroom mixture and both cloves of garlic to a blender bowl and puree until smooth. Pour the mushroom puree into the remaining onion and mushroom mixture. Return the pan to low heat and stir to combine it into a sauce. Add the fresh thyme and adjust the seasoning with salt and pepper to taste. Add the cooked pasta to the mushroom sauce and stir to combine. Serve hot and garnish with reserved onion-mushroom mixture.
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