Most people think mushrooms are some exotic ingredient but did you know that wild mushrooms are an integral part of the Luhya diet? The Luhya community has been gathering mushrooms since time in memorial. It is a seasonal ingredient of course and was/is mainly eaten as a substitute for meat. It usually found in abundance during and after the rainy season when they are harvested and sun dried to preserve them.
I grew up knowing of and eating these mushrooms at home as a delicacy. So imagine my surprise when as a grown up I talk to people about them and they are clueless....
I always keep several packs of these mushrooms at home and on this Sunday, I had a craving for some simple creamy pasta. For this meal, you can also use regular button mushrooms or if your budget can allow, dried porcini mushrooms.
Serves 2
150 grams wild mushrooms washed and rehydrated , (or 1 punnet of fresh mushrooms, chopped)
200ml Greek yogurt
4 cloves of garlic, crushed
1 medium onion, finely chopped
250 grams cooked rigatoni
4 tablespoons olive oil
Salt and Pepper to taste
Parmesan cheese
Put your pan on a medium heat and add to it the onion, garlic and oil then turn it down to a low heat to sweat the onions for about 3 minutes. Add your mushrooms to the mix and turn the heat back up to medium. Stir the ingredients together and keep an eye on it to make sure that they don't stick to the pan. If they do stick, add a dash of water or oil.
After 5 minutes, add your Greek yogurt and rigatoni to the mushroom. Gently stir through and turn down the heat and allow it to heat through for a couple of minutes.
Serve hot with a generous sprinkling of Parmesan cheese....