REGINETTE WITH CREAMY MUSHROOM SAUCE (vegan)

This mushroom pasta is perfect for autumn, when you can buy beautiful earthy mushrooms, always extra indulgent when you add a splash of cream. Here I’ve used dairy-free cheeses from Julienne Bruno which are a wonderful plant-based alternative to dairy. If you can find them, please do give them a go; I absolutely love them.

I suggest making more confit garlic than you need just for this dish; it’s really worth it, as it will keep for a few weeks in the fridge and the soft flavour of confit garlic is less overpowering than freshly cooked cloves. Sometimes just a spoonful of the oil is enough to carry the flavour you would like to add to a dish.

Place the garlic cloves in a small pan, cover them with olive oil and set the pan on a medium heat. Keep an eye on it until the olive oil starts bubbling, then reduce the heat to a gentle simmer. The garlic should be cooked and soft after about 25 minutes. Remove from the pan from the hob and set aside until completely cool. Once cool, transfer the garlic and oil to a sterilized jar and keep it in the fridge.

Now roll and shape the reginette. This is made in a similar way to pappardelle, but instead of using a knife to cut the dough, use a ravioli cutter and cut in single sheets. This makes the characteristic wavy edge of the reginette.

Start preparing the sauce by cutting or tearing the mushrooms into medium-sized pieces. Add the olive oil to a large heavy-based saucepan and set it on a medium heat, then drop in the garlic cloves. When they start to sizzle, add the mushrooms, sprinkle with sea salt and stir everything together. Cook for about 10 minutes until the mushrooms are soft and golden.

Set a large pan of water on the hob and when the water is boiling add plenty of salt. Cook the reginette for 1–1½ minutes. When the reginette is cooked, use tongs to lift it from the cooking water into the saucepan of mushrooms. Sprinkle over the parsley, add the lemon juice and toss the sauce and pasta together. Reduce to a very low heat, spoon over the crematta and stir it in, adding more pasta cooking water to loosen the sauce if needed.

Serve into four warmed bowls. To make this dish extra special, finish the dish with half a creamy burrella. Perfetto!