Mary Berry has a variety of pasta recipes, but one that stands out is her “perfect” pistou linguine.
The dish is a culinary delight that is not only quick, but also incredibly easy to put together.
With only 10 minutes to cook, this recipe is the epitome of convenience for busy evenings when you want something filling but don’t want to be stuck in the kitchen for hours.
Suitable for feeding four to six people as a main course, the amount can be easily adjusted for groups of different sizes.
Mary explained that pistou is a classic Provençal sauce made of basil, garlic and oil, similar to pesto, but without the pine nuts and parmesan.
Ingredients
300 g of linguine pasta
25 g of butter
500 g chestnut mushrooms in slices
75 g grated parmesan cheese
For Pistou sauce
Four tablespoons of coarsely chopped flat-leaf parsley
Four tablespoons of coarsely chopped basil
Two tablespoons of coarsely chopped chives
Two cloves of garlic, crushed Juice of one lemon
200 g of full-fat creme fraiche
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
Method
Start by combining the herbs, garlic, lemon juice and creme fraiche in a food processor and pulse until the herbs are finely chopped. Don’t hold back on seasoning, just add salt and pepper.
Bring the linguine to a boil in salted water according to the timing on the package; remember to keep two tablespoons of pasta water behind before draining it.
While the pasta is cooking, melt the butter in a large frying pan, throw in the mushrooms and fry them on a high heat for a minute or two.
Then change over a low heat in a pan, covered, for three minutes. After that, remove the lid, turn the heat back up and cook until they are golden brown and all the liquid has evaporated. Finally, scoop the mushrooms into a bowl.
Pour the dipping sauce and the reserved pasta water into the frying pan, heat until it just starts to bubble. Add the cooked pasta and season with a pinch of salt and pepper. Turn the pasta until it is completely covered in pistou sauce and heated through.
Remove from heat and sprinkle in most of the parmesan and mushrooms.
Pour the delicious meal into a bowl and sprinkle the remaining parmesan and mushrooms on top. Add more spices if you think it needs it.
It goes perfectly with crusty bread with sauce, fried vegetables or a fresh side dish.
