Roasted Mushroom Noodle Bowl

I love the sunshine in mid autumn. The rays are more reserved, lacking the intensity and pushiness of their summer counterparts. Today I sat out on the veranda for lunch and let it warm me. It’s gentle rays intersecting the slight chill in the air and sparking a glow that seemed to warm me from the inside out. I needed that. And I needed the golden luster it cast just a few hours later, intensifying the deep reds, yellows and browns that dominate the trees on our street this time of year. Did you ever notice how perfect everything looks in the autumn sunlight?

Yes, I had a moment. After spending last weekend sick in bed, the following days snowballed and left me a sleep-deprived, exercise-lacking, poorly nourished mess. I couldn’t sleep, and thus lacked energy to exercise or cook. I compensated with tiny cups of perfectly extracted caramelly-sweet espresso which, unsurprisingly, dealt only short term appeasement and left me reeling in a moody, sleepless haze. I lay in bed wide awake at night, convincing myself that my recent career move was quite possibly one of the worst ideas of all time, right up there with spray cheese and comeback tours.

So I just sat there and let the sun work it’s magic, grateful the week was coming to an end. Tomorrow I can sleep late and all will be good. I decided to forgo that next espresso and cook something comforting before having an early night. I may not know whether I’ve made the right decisions but I do know that garlic, flat-leaf parsley and toasted walnuts will have roasted mushrooms practically dancing on the plate.

I used soba noodles because I wanted to reduce the wheat, and they have a slightly nutty flavor that really works with the mushrooms and dressing. Soba noodles are usually made with a mixture of buckwheat and wheat flour. However the proportion of buckwheat can range from 30% to 100% so you should check the packet to see what you’re getting. Mine was 50% buckwheat. If you go for the 100% buckwheat noodles be aware that they may break up into smaller strands as they cook.

Roasted Mushroom Noodle Bowl Recipe
12oz / 360g dried soba noodles
2 cups loosely packed flat leaf parsley
½ cup plus 2 tablespoons olive oil
4 large garlic cloves
½ teaspoon fine ground sea salt
8oz / 230g mushrooms, torn in half (I used a mixture of button mushrooms and flat mushrooms)
1 sprig thyme, leaves picked off
1 tablespoon butter
Parmesan cheese for serving, shaved with a vegetable peeler
Optional: ½ cup walnuts, roughly chopped

Preheat oven to 400F / 200C. Bring a large pot of water to the boil.

Toast the walnuts in the oven while it is heating for 10-12 minutes, stirring once or twice. Use a timer because I burned mine. Twice. Hence the lack of walnuts in the photos.

In a blender, combine olive oil, flat leaf parsley, 2 garlic cloves and salt. Pulse until the parsley is finely chopped and well combined.

Place an oven proof pan or skillet over medium-high heat. Heat 1 tablespoon olive oil, add the torn mushrooms and cook until they just start to color, about 2 minutes. Add the butter, thyme leaves and stir to combine. Add salt and freshly ground pepper to taste. Place the skillet in the preheated oven and roast the mushrooms for 7 minutes.

Add 1 tablespoon olive oil to the pot of boiling water. Cook the soba noodles until tender, following packet instructions. Drain and quickly stir through the dressing and walnuts. Serve into bowls and top with roasted mushrooms and shaved parmesan.

Makes 4 servings.