Vegan Creamy Lion's Mane Rigatoni

Cashew cream

• 1/2 cup raw cashews soaked in 1 cup hot water for 30 minutes
• Drain the cashews and place in a high-speed blender with 3/4 cup cold water.  Blend until smooth.
• 500 g lion’s mane torn into chunks
• A good glug of vegetable oil for frying
• 1 onion, finely diced
• 2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
• 1/2 cup white wine
• 2 tablespoons nutritional yeast
• 1 can green peppercorns, drained
• Prepared cashew cream
• 1 cup packed baby spinach
• Parsley for serving
• 400 g pasta of choice, cooked to al dente

Heat the oil in a frying pan to medium hot and fry the lion’s mane chunks until they are starting to crisp. Remove the chunks from the oil and reserve.

Add the onion to the oil and cook on medium heat till transparent. Do not brown. Add the garlic and cook for a further couple of minutes.

Deglaze with the white wine, reducing the wine by about half. Add the cashew cream, the nutritional yeast and the peppercorns. Season with salt and pepper to taste and add the lion’s mane. Allow to cook on medium low for 15 or so minutes or until the sauce is nicely thickened.

Just before serving, add the fresh baby spinach and cooked pasta and stir through. Serve sprinkled with torn parsley.