Truffle Mushroom Fettuccine

Welcome to week 1 of the Quarantine Pasta Food Tour. Buckle up as we indulge in homemade pastas of all shapes and sizes. Our first pasta victim is the thick, durable, yet skinny fettuccine. So grab your wine / quarantini of choice, kick up the volume on your speakers, and get kneading. Or just stick to your comfortable boxed pasta.

The pasta

I’m half Italian (thank you mom) and learned to cooked from my grandmother, Nanna. She could make a mean meatball and tomato sauce, but it pains me to admit she never taught me to make homemade pasta. I’ll forgive her, though, because she covered everything else an Italian grandmother could teach and then some. So here I am in the early days of COVID quarantine (sorry, are you tired of those words yet?) thinking: I’m teaching myself to make some gosh darn homemade pasta.

I recently travelled to Vail, CO and went skiing for the first time in my life. It went surprisingly well thanks to friends / the boyfriend throwing me in the deep end and a 17-minute YouTube video of a somewhat creepy but informative man on skis. So naturally, I deferred to YouTube for my pasta lesson. This pasta is all thanks to a Tasty video.

A few tips for homemade pasta:

• Use a soft wheat flour, better known as “00 flour.” I add a hint of Semolina flour in mine to give the pasta a bite.

• Knead for 7 - 10 minutes before you let it sit

• Remember this is raw pasta, not boxed, so don’t over boil.

• A rolling pin works fine to make pasta, but I highly recommend investing in a pasta maker because it’s a workout without one (learned this the hard way)

Seriously, just watch the Tasty tutorial on the perfect pasta and it’ll turn out great. Onto the main event we go... the sauce!

The truffle mushroom sauce

Oof that just has a RING to it. If you’re a mushroom lover, this sauce is for you. I’ve used silky mascarpone with cream, wine, and butter to act as the base. Adding truffle oil was a no brainer because a) it’s the perfect companion to a mushroom and b) it makes everything taste better.

Whether this fettuccine accompanies a hot steak off the grill or stands alone with a glass of wine, I wish you the warmth of knowing when shit hits the fan that pasta will always be there to comfort for you. Now grab your truffle oil and boss it up in the kitchen.

Suggested cooking song: Truffle Butter, Nicki Minaj

XO//CATH

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THE RECIPE

How to make it happen

for the pasta...

1 1/2 cups 00 flour

1/2 cup semolina flour

3 eggs

5 egg yolks

1 Tbsp olive oil

pinch of salt

for the sauce...

1 cup light cream

1 pack baby bella mushrooms, sliced

1/2 onion, diced

2 cloves garlic, minced

1 pack shiitake mushrooms

1/2 cup mascarpone

1/2 cup tart white wine

2 Tbsp butter

1 tbsp black truffle oil

Italian herbs to taste

salt and pepper to taste

For the pasta making, watch the Tasty video using pasta ingredients above and set aside. Get water in a pot and add generous swirls (6 is ideal) of salt in it.

In a hot skillet, add olive oil. Take your onions, mushrooms, and garlic - let sautee for about 10 minutes, mixing every minute or so. When mushrooms start to brown, lower the heat on your pan.

Add the wine, cream, mascarpone and butter. Let ingredients slowly incorporate into the dish. Lightly mix them in with a wooden spatula.

Add your homemade pasta to the boiling salted water. Cook for about 3 minutes, that’s it! Strain water from bowl once cooked. Add pasta with a small amount of pasta water into the mushroom sauce. Merry on low heat for about 2 minutes, then serve in large bowl. Top with Parmesan cheese, red pepper flakes, and enjoy!