Monday's Dinner

So after my day of have only one useful hand, I made that Mac-N-Cheese. Pretty NOMMY, only I left it in the oven a little too long and it was kind of dry. But the ingredients were excellent...Tillamook extra sharp cheddar, gruyere and some other cheese I won't mention, but there is a cup of milk in every slice! Oh and some pancheta!

When it was time to serve, Poppy asked if we had some truffle oil. Well sure we do; black or white? Reminds me of a story...some months ago, Boss Karen had been spending lots of time alone since Hoosband, George was traveling tons for his job. I asked Boss Karen over for the dinna. In doing so, I asked her to give me her favorite ingredient and I would make something with it. Well, what do you think her favorite ingredient is? Yeah, truffle oil! She puts it on everything...including popcorn!

Having never worked with truffle oil, I was very much looking forward to the challenge. Here's what I made:

Spaghetti with Truffle Oil, Garlic and Rosemary Recipe

Ingredients:

1 medium yellow onion- chopped fine
3 cloves garlic, chopped fine
3 table spoons olive oil
1 stalk fresh rosemary- chopped
1 teaspoon truffle oil-- white or black
1/4 grated fresh good quality Parmesan cheese

Directions:

Saute onion-garlic and rosemary in olive oil.
Make sure onion is golden-and garlic is not burnt.
Boil spaghetti, in 3 quarts salted water with a touch of milk in the water, as well as a tablespoon of oil.
When al dente, drain pasta, toss with onion, garlic, rosemary.
Add Parmesan.
Toss again and drizzle the truffle oil on top of each individual serving.
Garnish with fresh chopped Rosemary--just a pinch.

And this:

Spinach and Mushrooms with Truffle Oil

Ingredients

2 tablespoons (1/4 stick) butter
10 ounces button mushrooms or crimini (baby bella) mushrooms, sliced
1 large shallot, chopped
1 1/2 9-ounce bags fresh spinach leaves
1 to 2 teaspoons truffle oil

Preparation

Melt butter in large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add mushrooms; sauté until brown and liquid evaporates, about 8 minutes. Add shallot; sauté 2 minutes.
Add spinach, 1/3 at a time, to skillet with mushrooms and toss over medium-high heat, allowing each batch to wilt slightly before adding next, about 2 minutes per batch. Sauté just until all spinach is wilted and heated through. Stir in 1 teaspoon truffle oil. Season with salt, pepper, and more truffle oil, if desired. Transfer to bowl and serve.

I came to the conclusion that a little truffle oil goes a long, long way.

I was talking to Friend, Jeannie about it last night and she asked what it tastes like. Hard to describe. Somewhere between cooked artichokes and a petroleum product.

Have a great day!