Sometimes brilliant flavour harmonies appear in totally unexpected combinations of ingredients and so it was with a tub of fresh gooseberries in the fridge, that we came up with this surprisingly exotic and moreish pasta dish. There’s a nice kick from the mustard, a slightly tart sweetness from the berries, and a deeply satisfying basil undertone.
We dare you to try it!
Serves: 2
Ingredients
1 punnet of fresh (or can of preserved) gooseberries, halved
160g tagliatelle pasta
1 cup of rice or soy milk
1 tbsp cornflour
1 tbsp Dijon mustard
2 tbsp of Macadamia oil
handful of basil leaves, torn and chopped
Salt & black pepper, to taste
Method
Bring salted water to the boil in a large pot over medium heat. Cook the pasta until ‘al dente’ following instructions on the pack.
Following our recipe for ‘Creamy Vegan Béchamel’ sauce, stir the Dijon mustard (instead of the spice) through the cooked sauce, adding salt and pepper to taste. If you’d like a bright yellow colour to your sauce, add 1/2 tsp of turmeric powder and mix well.
Once cooked, drain the pasta saving a cup of pasta water. Place the pasta back in the pot over low heat, adding half of the gooseberries, half of the torn basil leaves and the mustard béchamel sauce. Stir through well, adding a bit of pasta water to thin the sauce so that it covers all of the pasta.
Dish up into bowls, topping with some more gooseberries, basil leaves and grind of black pepper and last drizzle of Macadamia oil.