Tuesday, February 1, 2011

Pasta Alfredo with Mushrooms and Asparagus

Another one of my new year resolutions is to try and cook at least one new dish every month.
[Side note:  Initially, I thought of cooking something new every week, then I realized that's near impossible, following which I briefly considered once a fortnight but figured that was also being a little too ambitious and finally settled on once a month which I justttt about managed to do in January - the very first month of this year and the very first time this resolution has been put to the test. Clearly, this does NOT bode well. End of Side note]

January was Pasta Alfredo with Portobello Mushrooms and Asparagus. I had this at dinner while in Chicago last week and it was heavenly, so I tried to make it at home.

The Pasta (Better Pics for Feb's Recipe - I promise!)
Ingredients
1 pound Fettucine Pasta
1 cup Half & Half (or Cream if you're feeling particularly decadent)
6 tbps Butter
1 cup grated Parmesan
Chopped Asparagus (I used about 8 stalks but you could go with less ... or more)
Large sliced Portobello mushrooms (1 cup)
Salt
Freshly ground pepper
A little bit of fresh chopped parsley
Truffle Oil

Recipe
Step 1: Cook the pasta according to directions in salted water until al dente. About 5 minutes before complete, add Asparagus to the boiling water and cook. Once done, drain while keeping aside 1/4 cup of the cooking liquid.
Step 2: While the pasta is cooking, melt the butter in a saucepan, add the sliced mushrooms and saute for a couple of minutes. Add the cream and finely chopped fresh parsley and bring to a boil. Cook until the sauce has reduced slightly. Remove from heat.
Step 3: Return the pasta to its original pot with the remaining cooking liquid on medium heat and cook for about 2 minutes. Add the sauce, asparagus and and half of the grated Parmesan and toss to combine well. Season with Salt and Ground Pepper.
Step 4: Add a few drops of truffle oil, sprinkle with the remaining Parmesan and serve immediately.

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