Creamy Mushroom Truffle Pasta

When I was on vacation in Virginia last July we didn’t eat out all the time. One night I offered to cook some pasta which is my specialty.

My favorite ingredient for pasta is fresh mushrooms which are costly in Manila and we don’t get many varieties either.

For this dish which I cooked without following a specific recipe I chose regular button, baby portobella and maitake mushrooms. I was quite pleased that the mushrooms were already sliced since saved me some work. I used only half of the button and baby bella.

1. Use as much garlic as you want. I used a whole head of garlic for a pound of pasta.

2. Combine all the sliced mushrooms in a bowl. Do not wash the mushrooms so it will not absorb extra moisture.

3. Saute the garlic and mushrooms in olive oil in medium high heat. Add some red pepper flakes if you want a little or a lot of kick.

4. Add in white wine and let it evaporate until you are left with half the volume.

5. Add some light cream or heavy cream if you don’t mind the extra fat and calories. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Let simmer for a few minutes until slightly thickened.

6. Transfer the pasta straight from the pot. There’s no need to drain or rinse the pasta. You can add some water that was used to cook the pasta if the sauce is a bit dry.

I bought this truffle oil in World Market for about $15. It was a great deal.

truffle oil

7. Pour the truffle oil directly on the plated pasta and stir. Inhale deeply and smell the wonderful, earthy aroma of truffle oil on freshly cooked mushroom pasta. It doesn’t get better than this.

The pasta came out fantastic. The light cream sauce barely coated the pasta yet the flavor was rich, pungent and very flavorful.  This was a lighter version of the usual heavy cream sauce found in restaurants.

I actually just wrote this recipe and estimated the quantities since I didn’t measure any of the ingredients I used. So feel free to adjust the ingredients to your liking.

Creamy Mushroom Truffle Pasta recipe
2 T Olive Oil
12 oz or 340 g. fresh Mushrooms, sliced
1 head of garlic, minced
1/2 – 1 tsp red pepper flakes
1 cup white wine
1 cup light cream
salt & pepper to taste
3-4 tsp truffle oil
1 lb or 450 g. of linguini or pasta of your choice
Parmesan cheese (optional)

1. Heat olive oil in a pan. Add in garlic and cook for a few minutes. Be careful not to brown the garlic. Sprinkle with red pepper flakes. Add in sliced mushrooms. Saute on medium high heat for 5-10 minutes until tender.

2. Pour white wine into the pan and reduce over high heat for about 2 minutes or until the volume has reduced in half. Add the cream and simmer until slightly thickened.

3. Cook the pasta in a pot filled with enough water and plenty of salt. Taste the water it should be as salty as sea water. Do not add any oil.  Follow the instructions on the package for cooking time.

Cooking it this way gives the pasta more taste and you won’t need to add as much salt in your sauce. It’s better for the sauce to wait for the pasta to cook than the other way around. You don’t want to add cold, sticky pasta to hot sauce. You can also turn off the heat of your sauce while waiting for the pasta to finish cooking.

4. When pasta is al dente transfer it directly to your sauce. Mix gently and warm through.

5. Transfer to a serving plate. Pour the truffle oil on top of the pasta and stir until the oil is spread evenly through the pasta. Top with Parmesan cheese if desired. Serve right away and enjoy.