Wild Mushroom and Truffle Ragu over Fettucine

Boy am I a good decision maker...

A few weeks ago, I decided to venture to HomeGoods with my mom since I got a $25 gift certificate from a family friend as a housewarming gift. Unimpressed at the items, we were about to leave with gift card in hand when I faithfully came upon the 'oils' section. With a variety of olive oils and a few other specialty oils (avocado, etc.) I quickly thought to look for my favorite oil of all time- truffle oil!!!

To my surprise, there were only two bottles left- white truffle oil and black truffle oil. Not being able to choose between the two (do I go with the light aroma of the white truffle oil or do I stick with the heavy earthy aroma of black?!?!) I decided to use up my gift card and get both oils.. and now i'm in heaven. Boy am I a good decision maker.

Of course, with this new treasure in hand, I had to immediately find some truffle oil recipes!

The first recipe I tried out with my white truffle oil happened to come from Emeril Lagasse- Wild Mushroom and Truffle Ragu over Fettucine-BAM!

Recipe follows:

--------------------------------------------------------------------

1 tablespoon olive oil
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
1/2 cup diced onion
1 tablespoon minced garlic
2 pounds wild and exotic mushrooms, cleaned and diced
2 teaspoons chopped fresh thyme leaves
2 teaspoons chopped fresh oregano leaves
1 cup chopped tomatoes
2 tablespoons tomato paste
2 cups mushroom, chicken or veal stock
1 1/4 teaspoons kosher salt, plus more for pasta water
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1 tablespoon chopped fresh basil leaves
1 tablespoon chopped fresh parsley leaves
4 teaspoons truffle oil
1 pound fettucine
1/2 cup grated Parmesan
Chopped fresh herbs, for garnish (such as basil, parsley, thyme)

Place a 12-inch skillet over medium-high heat. Add the olive oil and butter to the pan. Once the butter melts and starts to foam, add the diced onions and saute until translucent, about 3 to 4 minutes. Add the garlic and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Add the mushrooms and cook, stirring often, until they have released most of their liquid, about 10 minutes. Add the thyme, oregano, chopped tomatoes, tomato paste and stock to the pan. Bring the contents of the pan to a boil and reduce to a gentle boil. Continue to cook, stirring occasionally until the liquid has reduced and thickened, about 20 minutes. Season with the salt and pepper, and add the basil, parsley and truffle oil to the pan. Stir to incorporate and reserve while you cook the pasta.
Fill a large 6-quart pot with 1-gallon of water and bring to a boil over high heat. Season the water with salt. Place the dried pasta into the boiling water, and stir using a long handled spoon until the water returns to a boil. Cook the pasta until al dente, or until it has a slight chew, about 12 to 14 minutes. Once cooked, remove the pasta from the water and drain through a colander set in the sink. Pour the pasta onto a large platter or bowl, and spoon the sauce over top of the pasta. Sprinkle with the Parmesan and chopped fresh herbs

--------------------------------------------------------------------

And BAM! There you have it.





So I have to admit- this recipe is a bit more tedious (and pricey) than the other pasta recipes that I've made- although it isn't necessarily difficult, there are a lot of ingredients you need to pay special attention to. But I'm telling you- it's worth it.

The wild mushrooms are soft and delicious and obviously compliment the drizzled white truffle oil. I tried not to put the truffle oil on the heat too long as the longer it is cooked- the more flavor it loses- DO NOT COOK TOO LONG!! I didn't use fettucine just because.. well.. I hate fettucine and used thin spaghetti instead. The flavors were rich and filling and I enjoyed my meal.

I would say that this recipe was OK. I didn't enjoy the tomato paste and the tart flavor it gave to the meal- it masked the truffle oil a little bit too much to my liking. Although still tasty-I probably wouldn't make this again, or at least make tweaks to it.

Although I have to say that I was really excited to try my first ever truffle oil recipe, I was more excited about the herbs that I used!

That's right, my little seedlings have finally grown and my herb collection is complete! I now can cook using fresh, home grown herbs and it is so incredibly satisfying (not to mention cheaper). Although it did take long, the smell and excitement I got out of cooking my own fresh herbs in the kitchen is exhilarating!

Although truffle oil is a bit pricey, for those who enjoy truffles as much as I do, I am sure we all can agree that it is worth it. I highly recommend getting some for your kitchen and trying out new recipes! Hey- it's even vegetarian friendly! How much better can you get??

Thanks Emeril for another recipe!

Now off to the next truffle recipe! Woot!

Difficulty: Easy/Medium

Time: 40 minutes

Taste: 8.9