Roast Oyster Mushrooms & Shallots

Cup of Yum
1. Start by slicing off the stem end of half a pound of oyster mushrooms and separate them into bite-sized individual pieces. Wash them under running water quickly and then dry them thoroughly using a kitchen towel. Note: I prefer squeezing the water gently and then leaving them wrapped in the kitchen towel while I prepare the shallots
2. Remove the root and edges, and peel the shallot. Then slice into thin circles so it's perfect as a roasted topping for the pasta.
3. If using an oven - preheat to 400°F. If using an air-fryer, and it requires preheating, preheat to 360°F
4. Add oyster mushrooms to a mixing bowl along with one tablespoon of avocado oil, one teaspoon of salt, and half a teaspoon of black pepper. Use your hands or tongs to coat them properly. Then, transfer to air fryer tray or basket, or a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Season the shallots with a teaspoon of oil, half a teaspoon of salt, and a quarter teaspoon of black pepper in the same mixing bowl and transfer them to a corner of the air fryer tray or basket / baking sheet. Note: You could season them together, but I find that keeping them separate makes it easy to remove the shallots versus picking through!
5. If air-frying: Place the basket or tray in the air fryer and roast at 360°F for 5 minutes. Check on the shallots at the five minute mark, and if roasted (browned around the edges) remove the shallots. If not, continue to check in 1 minute increments until the shallots can be removed. For reference, I use a Breville Smart Oven and it took 7 minutes for shallots to brown. After removing the shallots, allow mushrooms to roast for an additional ten or so minutes. My mushrooms were perfectly browned after 20 minutes of total roasting time.
6. If using the oven: place the baking sheet and roast at 400°F for 5 minutes. Check on the shallots at the five minute mark, and if roasted (browned around the edges) remove the shallots. If not, continue to check in 1 minute increments until the shallots can be removed. For reference, in my regular oven, it took 8 minutes for shallots to brown.After removing the shallots, allow the mushrooms to roast for another 20 minutes, checking in 10 minute increments. My mushrooms took a total of 27 minutes to brown in the oven.
7. If your pistachios aren't already toasted, throw half a cup of pistachios in the oven on a separate baking sheet and toast for ~10 minutes

Prepare Pasta

1. When you first pop the mushrooms and shallots in the oven or air fryer, start boiling your pasta water. Then cook the pasta to the directions on the package. Drain, reserving half a cup of pasta water, and set aside.

Prepare Pesto

1. Add three cups of pea shoots, half a cup of toasted pistachios, 3 garlic cloves, a teaspoon of salt, and half a teaspoon of pepper into a food processor bowl and pulse until you get a coarse paste of sorts.
2. Then, with the food processor running, slowly add about 3 tablespoons of avocado oil (or olive oil) to emulsify the pesto to the right consistency. If you don't have a chute to do this in your food processor, add the oil in one tablespoon increments.

Assemble Pasta

1. Toss the pasta with the pesto, using pasta water to thin out if required. Then, top with roasted mushrooms and shallots, as well another tablespoon of toasted pistachios and ¼ cup of fresh pea shoots as garnish. Serve hot!