Celeriac and mushroom carbonara
Serves: 2
Prep time: 35 minsTotal time: 
Recipe photograph by Martin Poole
Celeriac and mushroom carbonara
‘This is a light vegetarian play on the classic spaghetti carbonara. Instead of a liaison between egg yolks and Parmesan, I’ve used creamy cashew nuts, and to replace the saltiness of bacon I’ve made some salty crispy parsley. And then there are umami flavours coming from the mushrooms. So while it’s not a carbonara as such, it is certainly inspired by it,' says chef Tristan Welch
Serves: 2
Prep time: 35 minsTotal time: 
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Nutritional information (per serving)
Calories
551Kcal
Fat
31gr
Saturates
4gr
Carbs
42gr
Sugars
5gr
Fibre
9gr
Protein
21gr
Salt
2gr
Tristan Welch
Tristan began his career working for Gary Rhodes, Gordon Ramsay and Michel Roux Jr, before spending three years working in the Caribbean. As Chef Director at Parker’s Tavern at The University Arms Hotel in Cambridge, Tristan sources as much seasonal, local produce as possible, and reimagines some great British classics.
See more of Tristan Welch’s recipes
Tristan Welch
Tristan began his career working for Gary Rhodes, Gordon Ramsay and Michel Roux Jr, before spending three years working in the Caribbean. As Chef Director at Parker’s Tavern at The University Arms Hotel in Cambridge, Tristan sources as much seasonal, local produce as possible, and reimagines some great British classics.
See more of Tristan Welch’s recipes
Ingredients
- 150g cashews
- 1 tsp smoked salt (we used Maldon)
- ½ vegetable stock cube
- small handful parsley sprig
- 90g spaghetti
- 200g celeriac
- 1 x 200g pack speciality mushroom mix, large ones halved
- 1 shallot, finely chopped
- 1 garlic clove, crushed
- 1 tbsp olive oil, plus extra to brush
- 20g Parmesan shaving - use vegetarian cheese if required
Step by step
Get ahead
Make the cashew sauce and the crispy parsley a few hours ahead. Peel the celeriac and store in a bowl of water with a splash of lemon juice to stop it from browning. Pat dry and grate when ready to cook. Prep and measure all the remaining ingredients and get your pans ready.
- Ideally begin the day before; this isn’t essential but will give a smoother sauce. Soak the cashews in a bowl of cold water overnight, or for at least 1 hour.
- Put the drained cashews, 225ml water, the smoked salt and stock cube in a blender and blend until as smooth as possible. Measure out half the sauce and chill or freeze in an airtight container for another meal (it’s not practical to make a half-quantity as a smaller amount doesn’t blend easily).
- For the crispy parsley, tightly clingfilm the surface of a microwave-safe plate, place the parsley sprigs on top and lightly brush with oil. Season lightly with salt and microwave until crispy; about 3-4 minutes. Set aside.
- Peel and coarsely grate (or spiralise) the celeriac. Bring a large pan of salted water to the boil.
- Heat 1 tablespoon of oil in a frying pan and sauté the celeriac for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally, until softened and golden. Transfer to a plate. Cook the spaghetti in the salted boiling water, until al dente.
- Add a further ½ tablespoon of oil to the frying pan and gently cook the shallot and garlic for 3-4 minutes until softened. Increase the heat, add the mushrooms with seasoning and fry until they start to colour.
- Reserve some pasta water then drain the spaghetti in a colander. Add the remaining cashew sauce and the celeriac to the pan you used for the pasta and bring up to a simmer, stirring. Return the spaghetti and toss in the sauce, adding just enough of the pasta water to give a coating consistency.
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To serve, divide between two bowls, spoon over the mushrooms, scatter with the Parmesan and garnish with the crispy parsley.
