Two main things I miss during this pandemic (besides hugs!) are:
1. Traveling
2. Going out to eat.
Watching Stanley Tucci eating in Italy over the weekend made me pine for both. It has me dreaming of all of the things we ate in Italy two years ago. To satisfy my pasta craving and to break up the monotony of making big dinners at home, I prepared this Fettucine with Truffle Butter recipe on a weekday for lunch for me and my husband. Since Cooper isn’t a creamy pasta fan, we were able to enjoy this just the two of us for a random date while he was schooling.
My Mom used to make this pasta dish. It’s an Ina Garten recipe (Bev was a hardcore Ina fan) and when Bev found out that truffle butter could be bought at Costco, she would make this one for my Dad A LOT. It was his kryptonite.
Cuz you know…
Calories don’t count when you have this kind of love given to you.
This recipe is a special one. It’s not a heavy alfredo sauce, more like a light cream sauce. Decadent but light! If you want to add a little bulk to it, mushrooms would be fantastic. I bet a steak would be great too if you’re into that sort of thing.
When you make it with fresh egg fettuccine…WOW. You’ll find yourself with another helping on your plate. Don’t plan for leftovers 😉
Ingredients involved:
First, we melt the truffle butter in the cream.
This is what I used. I’ve found truffle butter at Trader Joe’s before too.
Fettuccine gets a bath in boiling water.
Sauce marries itself to the pasta. It’s a wonderful marriage with the happiest ending.
Toss!
Coat! Season with salt & pepper to taste.
Shave some fresh parmesan to garnish.
Top with a bit of fresh parsley for pizzazz!
Oh, I also found this at Trader Joe’s if you wanna add a little more truffle essence!
That reminds me that I need to make truffle popcorn with it soon.
Twirl, bite, enjoy!
Take me back to Italy, please.
Fettucine with Truffle Butter
serves 4
recipe adapted from Barefoot Contessa: Back to Basics
- kosher salt
- 1/2 cup heavy cream
- 3 oz. white truffle butter
- freshly ground black pepper
- 1 10.5 oz package fresh egg fettuccine
- 3 tablespoons chopped fresh Italian parsley
- ⅓ cup, thinly shaved Parmesan
Add 1 tablespoon salt to a large pot of water and bring to a boil.
Meanwhile in a sauté pan, heat the cream over medium heat until it comes to a simmer. Add the truffle butter, 1 teaspoon salt, and ½ teaspoon pepper, lower the heat to very low, and swirl the butter until it melts. Keep warm over very low heat.
Add the pasta to the boiling water and cook for 3 minutes (or according to package.) When the pasta is cooked, reserve ½ cup of the cooking water, then drain the pasta. Return pasta to pot and toss with the truffle-cream mixture. As the pasta absorbs the sauce, add as much of the reserved cooking water as necessary to keep the pasta very creamy.
Serve the pasta in shallow bowls and garnish each serving with a generous sprinkling of parsley and shaved Parmesan. Season with black pepper and serve immediately.
