Creamy Mushroom Fettucine

One of the most delicious things I ate when we were on our honeymoon in Italy was a mushroom pasta at the Fattoria San Donato in San Gimignano. This recipe is my creation of that dish.

1/2 C Hot Water
1/2 OZ of Dried Porcini Mushrooms
1 LB of Mixed Mushrooms (such as baby bella, white and shitake)
1 Clove Garlic
3/4 C Flat Leaf Parsley
2 TBSP EVOO
1/4 C White Wine
Salt
Pepper
8 OZ Mascarpone Cheese
Fettucine

Cook pasta according to directions. If you are not making fresh pasta, I recommend using the fresh pasta from the refrigerated section in the market. A 9 oz. portion is good for this recipe.
Place dried mushrooms in 1/2 C hot water to reconstitute.
Thinly slice mushrooms. Place 1/2 of the mushrooms in food processor.
Add the garlic and parsley to the food processor. Pulse until finely chopped.
Add EVOO to large saute pan, turn heat to medium. Add the chopped mushroom combination, the reconstituted porcini (without the water - save 1/4 cup of the water), and the sliced mushrooms. Season with salt and pepper. Cook until mushrooms are tender, about 8-10 minutes.
Turn heat to high. Add 1/4 C of the water (from reconstituting the mushrooms) and 1/4 C of white wine. Simmer until liquid evaporates, about 3 minutes. Remove from heat. Add mascarpone cheese, stir until blended. Add pasta, stir and serve!

Enjoy! If you like mushrooms, I promise you will love this dish!

New Year Salad

Are you eating healthy for the new year? Try this salad as a tasty dinner side with grilled chicken or pork!

6 oz Butter Lettuce
1/4 C Dried Figs, sliced
1/4 C Sliced Almonds
1 Braeburn Apple
Lime Juice
Salt
Pepper
EVOO
Fig Balsamic

I have served this salad for a 'girl's night dinner' with marinated chicken kebabs. It was the perfect compliment to an easy healthy dinner. And, it has almost no fat!!

Add almonds to a small saute pan. Sprinkle with salt and toast for approximately 3 minutes until light brown. Cool.
If you are making this in the winter, you can use store bought lettuce, otherwise, use some fresh butter leaf lettuce from your garden or farmer's market. I use one bag of Dole Butter Bliss.
Add lettuce to bowl.
Chop apple into small bite size pieces.

Toss apple in 1 TBSP lime juice to keep apple from turning brown. Add apple to salad bowl with lettuce.
Slice dried figs and add to salad.
Add cooled almonds to salad.
Dress the salad with salt, pepper, EVOO (2 TBSP) and fig balsamic (3 TBSP). Toss and serve!

Are you looking for some delicious EVOO and balsamic vinegars?? Try out something local to RI, Narragansett Bay Olive Oil Company. The fig infused balsamic vinegar was what inspired this recipe. Visit them online at http://www.nboliveoil.com.

Zuppa di Cipolle Italiana (Italian Onion Soup)

Happy New Year! It was a VERY cold day today in New England and a great night for soup for dinner. Two of my favorite soups are onion and tomato, so this is my take on a combination of the two.

Zuppa di Cipolle Italiana (Italian Onion Soup)

2 Shallots, Sliced Thin
2 Large Sweet Onions, Sliced Thin
4 Cloves Garlic, Chopped
32 OZ Reduced Sodium Beef Broth
28 OZ Can Diced Tomato
1/2 C Dry White Wine
4 Sprigs Thyme
8 TBSP Chopped Basil
5 TBSP Grated Parmesan Cheese
EVOO
Salt & Pepper
4 C Cubed Italian or French Bread

Saute shallots, onions, and garlic in 2 TBSP EVOO for 20 minutes until browned and softened.

Add wine, simmer for 5 minutes (wine will be mostly absorbed). Add broth and thyme, bring to a simmer.
Add tomatoes, bring to a simmer. Add basil and 3 TBSP of the parmesan, simmer on low for 15 minutes.

While the soup is simmering, prepare crusty croutons.
Preheat oven to 400 degrees. In a bowl, add the cubed bread, 2 TBSP EVOO and 2 TBSP of parmesan. Season with salt and pepper. Mix well. Spread in an even layer on a cookie sheet. Bake 4 minutes, stir and bake for another 4 minutes.
Serve soup with croutons on top. Makes 4 servings.

Enjoy on another one of our cold winter days!