HAM AND MUSHROOM SPAGHETTI

500 g mushrooms – slice finely
125 g ham – slice into strips
1 small onion – peel and chop finely
4 cloves garlic – crush, peel and chop finely
500 g spaghetti
250 g mascarpone
6 leaves fresh basil – tear into strips
50 g parmesan cheese – grate finely
olive oil, salt & pepper (from your pantry)

Directions
Bring a large saucepan of lightly salted water to the boil. Add a few drops of olive oil and the spaghetti and cook for 6-8 minutes. Don’t overcook the pasta – you want it al dente, that’s slightly chewy and uniformly translucent. Once cooked, drain (reserve a cup of the cooking liquid for the mushroom sauce) and keep warm in a colander over a saucepan of hot water. Sprinkle spaghetti with a little olive oil to prevent it from sticking together.

Heat a few glugs of olive oil in a frying pan on mediumheat. Add the onion, a splash of water and some salt and pepper. Saute for about 5 minutes until translucent. Add the mushrooms and garlic and cook for another 3 minutes. Taste and adjust for seasoning. Stir in the mascarpone and a little of the cooking liquid you reserved from the pasta – just enough to give a sauce-like consistency. Add the ham, basil leaves and parmesan cheese (reserve a little for the garnish).

To serve:Divide the spaghetti between the dinner plates (or bowls). Top with a helping of ham and mushroom with loads of yummy cream sauce.Scatter with a little parmesan cheese.

Posted by Susan Katryn JV Rensburg