Recipe: Double Mushroom Cream Sauce

On the same day that Ashley and I made apple pie, we also made a great meal.  Ashley said she had never had spaghetti squash, which surprised me and we put it on the menu.  It is something I really enjoy and can be a lot of fun to make.  Generally I serve my spaghetti squash pesto but I wanted to do something new.

I came up with the idea of a creamy mushroom sauce.  This was the perfect addition to the nutty flavors of the squash.  It came out so earthy and rich.

Double Mushroom Cream Sauce

5 cloves of garlic (chopped)
1 large portobello mushroom (cubed)
1/2 of an onion (chopped)
1 cup of shiitake mushrooms (chopped)
1 cup of cashew cream
1 cup of vegetable broth
3/4 tablespoon of oil
2 teaspoons of oregano
2 teaspoons of thyme
1 teaspoon of salt
1 teaspoon of black pepper

In a skillet, heat the oil on a lot temperature and add the onions and garlic.  Once the onion is translucent and the garlic is aromatic, add the mushrooms.  Cook until the mushrooms are soft.  Set aside 1 cup of the mushroom mixture and pour the remainder in a blender with the cashew cream and vegetable broth.  Puree until nearly smooth.  It will be fairly thick.  If needed, add more broth.

Pour back into skillet and add the set aside mushrooms back to the sauce.  Add thyme, salt, and pepper and fold into the sauce.  Allow it to heat, the longer it cooks, the better.  Cook on low heat and stir frequently to avoid burning.  If it begins to simmer, it is too hot.

We served this sauce over spaghetti squash but it could easily be applied to any noodle.  One might even be tempted to eat it with a spoon.

Ashley also requested her favorite soup, roasted red pepper.  It was not a pungently red this time since I was short on a pepper, the picture makes it look yellow.  It was most certainly a light red..  It was still a great compliment to the squash dish though.  Not to mention a side of roasted brussel sprouts!