Foodie Friends II

Last Saturday night was a big one.  A big one in terms of lovely company, delicious food, a great film & lots of laughs.  

Zoë offered to whip us up some dinner before we made an excursion to the cinema to see About Time, which turned out to be a gem of a film.  

Having lived in Italy for a time, Zoë is a bit of a master chef in the way of pasta dishes.  Her mushroom spaghetti is simple yet oh so delicious & in true Italian style, Zoë keeps the ingredient lineup to a minimum, allowing the natural flavours to speak for themselves.  The pasta, cooked to perfection, caps off the whole ensemble texture-wise, its form in tact as its mild aroma allows the buttery-sweet notes of the mushrooms to rest on your palate.  Di-vine.

Begin by prepping your ingredients:

A generous amount of garlic, finely chopped
Big pinch of dried chilli flakes
Extra virgin olive oil
Mushrooms, chopped as large or as small as you like
Pot of boiling water
Pasta of your choosing (Zo goes for spaghetti in this instance)
Finely chopped parsley for a final garnish
Grated cheese (Parmesan is always a winner but my newest love combination is Tasty / Cheddar)

While you have your water on the stove heating, toss the the garlic, chilli flakes & oil into a large fry pan to sizzle.  When the garlic is golden & aromatic, add the chopped mushies & stir altogether.
Mushrooms softened, allow them to rest on a low heat, giving the flavours opportunity to mingle & caramelise.
Meanwhile, add a pinch or two of salt to the boiling water, followed by your pasta, & allow to cook for as long as directed.

When the pasta is al dente, drain the water & mix the moistened threads through the mushrooms.  Keeping the heat on, drizzle a healthy glug of olive oil over & stir until deliciously combined.

Scoop it into bowls, garnish with as much cheese & parsley as you see fit & you know the drill after this . . . 

. . . Take a photo of an old-fashioned teapot & an indoor plant . . .

Once you're all fed & feeling fine, you can do whatever you choose.  Zoe & I frolicked amongst the neighbourhood flower vines on our way to the cinema.  As it's racing season in Melbourne, we thought these made adequate flower crowns for fascinators.  Floating fascinators, granted, but you get the gist . . .

Follow all this by a good rom com & a choc top for dessert, & I'm a happy chappy!