300ml mushroom/ vegetable stock – use two tablespoons mushroom / vegetable stock powder with 300ml hot water
1 heaped tablespoon cornflourAbout 2 tablespoon water – to dissolve the cornflour
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 large onion – peeled and roughly chopped
4 cloves garlic – peeled and finely chopped
120g button/ brown cap mushrooms – roughly chopped including the stalks
100g hazelnuts – toasted and roughly chopped
75g breadcrumbs – approx. 2 slices of bread
3 tablespoons fresh parsley
½ red chilli or ½ teaspoon chilli flakes – finely chopped – optional
75g grated cheese – optional
Garnish: 2 tablespoons chopped parsley and a drizzle of truffle oil
Method
Cook the jumbo macaroni shells according to the packet instructions. Drain, rinse and set aside.
Make the mushroom sauce by heating the oil in the frying pan on a medium heat. Sauté the onions and garlic for 2 minutes then add the mushrooms. Cook for about 5 minutes, then add the stock and bring to a simmer.
In a small bowl mix the cornflour with 1-2 tablespoons cold water until it dissolves. Whisk the dissolved corn flour into the simmering stock and stir well to avoid any lumps. The stock should thicken almost immediately.
Transfer this sauce to the base of a large ovenware dish.
For the pasta stuffing, heat the oil in a frying pan.
Add the onions, garlic and mushrooms and cook for about 5 minutes. Stir in the chopped hazelnuts, breadcrumbs, parsley and chili if using.
Using a spoon, fill the pasta shells and sit them on top of the mushroom sauce. Cover the ovenware dish with a lid of foil.
Preheat the oven to 180C/ 350F/ Gas mark 4. Bake for 25 minutes and then remove. Add the grated cheese if using and cook for a final 5 minutes uncovered.
Serve immediately and finish with a sprinkling of finely chopped parsley and a drizzle of truffle oil.
