Spelt Spaghetti with Spicy Sesame Mushrooms

Ingredients

• vegetable oil15 ml
• spring onions — about 4, finely chopped60 g
• chestnut mushrooms — sliced300 g
• sesame seeds — 2 tsp5.6 g
• garlic — 2 cloves; peeled and minced10 g
• soy sauce30 ml
• toasted sesame oil — 2 tsp10 ml
• dried chilli flakes0.25 tsp
• unwaxed lemon — zested and 15 ml juice squeezed0.5 ea
• spelt spaghetti200 g
• flat-leaf parsley — finely chopped25 g

Method

1. Put a large pan of water on to heat for the spaghetti. When it has almost come to the boil, start the sauce.
2. Warm the vegetable oil in a wide lidded pan (large enough to take the pasta later), add the spring onions and stir for a minute until vibrantly green.
3. Add the sliced mushrooms and cook for 3–4 minutes over a medium-high heat, turning them frequently.
4. Add the sesame seeds, garlic, soy sauce, sesame oil, chilli flakes, lemon zest and 15 ml lemon juice and stir together, then clamp on the lid and simmer on a low heat for 5 minutes, until the mushrooms are soft.
5. Once the water is boiling, salt it generously and cook the spaghetti according to the packet, testing a few minutes early. If the mushrooms are ready first, turn off the heat and leave them on the hob.
6. Lift the cooked spaghetti straight into the mushroom pan with tongs and toss with most of the parsley, adding a little pasta water, spoonful by spoonful, to help the sauce cohere.
7. Divide into bowls and sprinkle with the remaining parsley.