Lemon Mushroom Basil Pasta

Every week I agonize over which recipe to feature in this newsletter, and to always deliver more of what you're looking for. Convinced that readers are only interested in meat, chicken and parve salad 'n dessert, I've reluctantly kept my favorite dairy dishes to myself, and have privately lamented this loss. This week I turned to my Facebook friends to conduct a survey, and discovered to my delight that people DO regularly eat dairy, especially during the week. With this encouraging news, I'm taking the opportunity to share the most luscious, lemon-kissed mushroom 'n herb pasta with you, as I couldn't think of a more delicious way to launch our dairy theme. I'm also sneaking in an additional, speedy Tuscan pasta recipe to make up for lost time. Try it....love it...and be in touch and let me know what else you'd like to see featured on these pages. Putting customers' needs first begins right here.

2 tablespoons (30 ml) butter 1 red chilli, seeded and chopped / pinch dried chilli flakes 300 g fresh mushrooms, sliced* ¾ cup (180 ml) vegetable or parve chicken stock (Ina Paarman) ¾ cup (180 ml) unsweetened cream 2 tablespoons (30 ml) fresh lemon juice ½ cup (125 ml) grated Parmesan ¼ cup (60 ml) sliced basil leaves Coarse black pepper and salt 400 grams pasta (penne or fusilli) * I try to use a mix of white and portobello mushrooms but white on their own will work if necessary. Can substitute with sliced dark green zucchini if you sadly don't eat mushrooms or you can combine the two. Note all these ingredients work wonderfully together and ideally none should be omitted.

1: Melt the butter in a deep frying pan over medium heat. 2: Add chilli and mushrooms and cook 5 minutes or until mushrooms are browning. 3: Add the stock, cream and lemon juice and simmer for 5 minutes. 4: Cook the pasta in lightly salted water till just done then drain but don't rinse. 5:Toss pasta with the mushroom sauce, Parmesan, basil, pepper and salt. Recipe serves approximately 4.