Get your fancy on with this delightful raw food diet recipe for Italian fettuccini. Taken from Raw Food Real World by Matthew Kenney and Sarma Melngailis, this dish is simple to prepare though a couple of the steps have long dehydrating times (read the instructions first). King oyster mushrooms (pictured) are divine, but possibly hard to find, try substituting whatever is available to you such as matsutake or shiitake. You can also substitute zucchini for the less common goldbar squash. Regular oregano can be substituted for the larger, fatter, fuzzier Cuban oregano as well.
Prep Time: 45 minutes
Dehydrator Time: 4 hours
Total Time: 4 hours, 45 minutes
Yield: 4 Servings
Ingredients:
- 2 to 3 medium goldbar squash, ends trimmed
- Sea salt
- 2 cups heirloom cherry tomatoes, stemmed and sliced in half
- 2 to 4 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
- Freshly ground black pepper
- 2 cups king oyster mushrooms, stems removed and cut into bite-size pieces
- 2 teaspoons balsamic vinegar
- 2 teaspoons nama shoyu
- 2 to 3 whole stalks rosemary, plus 1 teaspoon minced
- 1 handful Cuban oregano, plus 2 teaspoons minced
- 1 shallot, minced
- Fresh chervil or other herbs for garnish
Preparation:
1. Using a vegetable peeler or Japanese mandoline, cut the squash into wide, thin noodle-like ribbons, working around each squash until you get to the center seeds. Discard the center or save for another use. Place the squash in a colander, toss with about 1/2 teaspoon sea salt and let sit for at least 30 minutes to allow a bit of the liquid to drain out.
2. In a medium bowl, toss the cherry tomatoes with 1 to 2 tablespoons olive oil and season with salt and pepper. Place on the dehydrating screen cut-side down and dehydrate at 115°F for 6 to 8 hours.
3. In a medium bowl, toss the mushrooms with 1 to 2 tablespoons olive oil, the balsamic vinegar, and nama shoyu. Season with salt and pepper. Add the rosemary stalks, oregano, and shallot. Toss well, place on dehydrator sheets and dehydrate at 115°F for 3 to 4 hours, or until the mushrooms have softened and taste sauteed. Discard the rosemary sprigs and any larger oregano leaves.
4. To serve, toss the squash noodles with the mushrooms, tomatoes, minced rosemary, and minced oregano. Season with salt and pepper and garnish with chervil or other fresh herbs.
Excerpted from Raw Food Real World, Harper Collins, 2005