It was Mother’s day this past weekend and my family came to my home to celebrate it. I had intended making this sauce with some pasta but when I mentioned it to my mam she said “oh great” with a slight look of disappointment. You see I later learned that she doesn’t consider pasta to be a “dinner”, these are her exact words. In Ireland a traditional dinner is meat with two veg, one of which is usually potato. Although I’d be happy to eat pasta every day of the week I do understand where she’s coming from; on a cold day or if I’m really hungry and tired I crave that type of Irish dinner, without the meat part obvs.
I had some vol au vants in the freezer so I thought I’d use the creamy sauce as a filling for these. It worked perfectly! I served them with creamy mustard mash (you’ll get the recipe here ) and steamed broccoli. Everyone had thoroughly enjoyed the meal and had seconds. I was a very happy host!
What you’ll need: (serves 4 to 6)
- 1 cup of cashew nuts, soaked for at least 2 hours
- 2 cloves of garlic, grated
- 1 onion, finely diced
- 400g chestnut mushrooms, sliced
- 1 level tablespoon of thyme leaves
- Salt and pepper to season
- 500ml of low salt stock
Method:
- Rinse and drain the cashews, add to a blender and pulse. Add 1 cup of water and mix on a high speed until smooth and creamy. Set aside. Note** more liquid (stock) will need to be added later on.
- Heat a large and a medium pan over medium heat. Add a little oil to both and when hot enough add the mushrooms to the large pan and the onion to the smaller one. You’ll need to cook the mushrooms in 2 or 3 batches.
- When the onion is almost translucent add the garlic and cook through for a few more minutes. Add half the cashew cream mix and a cup of stock. Stir well and add more stock, half a cup at a time, until you get the consistency you’re happy with. Add the thyme.
- As the mushrooms are cooked add them to the pan with the cream mix. When all is done allow the mix to cook for a couple of minutes, season well with salt and pepper, share and enjoy!!
Share and enjoy!
If you try this dish at home please take a photo of it and tag @thetinyvegankitchen on Instagram or@thetinyVK on Twitter I’d love to see them.
Tanya x
