No Meat Meaty Pasta Sauce

I'm an avid reader of the Chocolate and Zucchini blog written by Clotilde Dusoulier - she writes about food and different techniques (bread baking, pasta making, etc), along with a bit on French language and food idioms that may not make sense to those of us that only have some college French under our belts. Her blog eventually led to a cookbook that is simple and lovely - the recipes are not exactly what you think of when you think of traditional French cooking, but there is a strong reliance on fresh ingredients and very tasty meals - something that always makes me think of the little bistros I eat at when I'm in France.

One of my favorite recipes in the book is called Poulet Mijoté à la Moutarde - Mustard Chicken Stew. It's so rich and satisfying, and doesn't take much to put it together - just chicken, purple onions, tomato sauce, herbs, and grainy Dijon mustard. Once you eat all the chicken, you end up with some leftover sauce that is great over pasta. I realized, after making it one day, that mushrooms would be perfect in the leftover sauce, so I emailed Clotilde and asked if she'd ever given that a try. She responded (and quickly) that she hadn't, but that she'd be interested in hearing how it turned out.

So I reheated the leftover sauce and added some sliced mushrooms, and it was fabulous! The mushrooms add an extra punch of meaty flavor and make it seem like a true pasta sauce - not a leftover sauce with mushrooms in it.

The mustard chicken stew has now actually turned into a new favorite pasta sauce that I make often. It's great for when you don't want meat (or are feeding a vegetarian) but still want something "meaty". See below for the recipe!

Mushroom and Mustard Pasta Sauce

Adapted from Chocolate and Zucchini

Serves 4

Ingredients:

• 1 bag of "small" pasta, such as fusilli or penne
• 1 Tbsp olive oil
• 1 lb. (2 blue cartons) white mushrooms, sliced
• 2 cans diced tomatoes OR 6 Roma tomatoes, cut into chunks
• 1/2 can tomato sauce (freeze the rest and add it to soup at a later point)
• 2 pinches kosher salt
• a few grinds black pepper
• 1 pinch aleppo pepper (optional, but it adds a spicy kick - you could also add crushed red pepper)
• 1 Tbsp dried oregano
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1-2 Tbsp whole grain Dijon mustard (to taste - use 2 Tbsp if you want it extra mustardy, but drop it to 1 if you want a more subtle flavor)
• 1/4 cup roughly chopped basil

Directions:

Cook the pasta according to the package directions.

In a medium saucepan over medium heat, heat the olive oil. Add the mushrooms and cook until they're brown and shiny. Add the canned or fresh tomatoes and the tomato sauce and stir to combine. Stir in the salt, pepper, oregano, and garlic.

Stir in the mustard and bring the sauce to a boil. Turn down the heat and let simmer for 10 minutes. You can make a green salad during this time, if you want.

Turn off the heat and stir in the basil. Serve over pasta with a sprinkling of parmesan cheese, if desired.