Mushroom and cashew salad with spaghetti

I followed this recipe from the cookbook, but added the spaghetti to give the dish some volume. Mushrooms are not native to the Arab world and are a new introduction to their cuisine brought about by modern infrastructure. This salad, though, plays with traditional flavours with modern ingredients.

The salad is wonderful and light. I chose to use oyster mushrooms; they are now easily available in India, and I love their subtle flavour. They add an earthiness to the salad that is lifted by the freshness of the parsley and lime juice. The cashew nuts are unusual, but they all added a lovely nuance. I loved this salad, cold, in this hot Gurgaon weather. The salad is filling yet light and refreshing.

The Arabesque Table is a relatively new cookbook in my library. It is filled with contemporary Arab recipes, each one a delight, like this one. Each recipe has an introduction that pr, precedes it, explaining the origins of the dish and its history, something I enjoy about reading and cuisine, I have so much to learn about. It's a wonderful cookbook, one you'll see me cook from again.

For more recipes from this cookbook, click here.

Ingredients:

For the pasta:

5 oz thin spaghetti pasta

Water

1/2 teaspoon salt

A few drops of olive oil

For the mushrooms:

4 tablespoons olive oil

1 lb mushrooms, cremini, oyster or white, sliced

Salt, to taste

1/2 teaspoon pepper

For the salad:

1 red bell pepper, finely diced

4 tablespoons parsley, minced

2 scallions, finely sliced

1/2 cup cashew nuts, toasted in a pan lightly

Salt, to taste

A generous drizzle of olive oil

Juice of 3 limes

Method:

For the pasta:

Fill a large pot with water and add the salt and olive oil. Bring to a boil. Cook as per the instructions on the package minus one minute for "al dente." Drain and set aside.

For the mushrooms:

Heat the oil in a wide frying pan on high heat. Add the mushrooms, salt, and pepper and saute until the mushrooms are dry and browned on the edges. Remove and set aside.

For the salad:

In a large bowl, toss the salad ingredients with the pasta and the cooled mushrooms. Toss well to coat the pasta with the oil and lime juice, then distribute the ingredients evenly.

Serve at room temperature or cold.