Linguine with Portabella Mushrooms and White Truffle Essence
Serves 4 as a main course and 6 as a first course
For all of the ingredients, please use only those that are organic or pesticide free.
 
2 shallots, thinly sliced
2 tablespoons olive oil
3 portabella mushrooms, cut into 1/2 inch pieces
1 teaspoon fresh thyme leaves
1/4 cup dry white wine or dry vermouth
1 tablespoon white truffle puree, if available (I used Urbani White Truffles Puree)
2 tablespoons white truffle oil, or more if desired
2 teaspoons chives, snipped with a scissor
16-18 ounces Bionaturae Gluten Free Linguine or favorite pasta of your choice
  fleur de sel, maldon, or other finishing salt
  freshly ground black pepper
  parmesan cheese, grated (optional)
 
Fill a large stock pot with water and bring to a boil.
Heat olive oil in a large saute pan over a medium flame. Add the shallots and a sprinkling of salt, cook for a few minutes, and reduce the heat to low. Cook the shallots until they begin to caramelize. It will take another 5-10 minutes.
Add the mushrooms to the shallots. Turn the heat up to medium high and use a wooden spoon to mix the ingredients together. Cook for about 5 minutes until the size of the mushrooms decrease to half their size and begin to brown. Turn the heat up and add the fresh thyme and wine. Leave the heat high long enough for the wine to fully evaporate, about 1 minute. Reduce to a simmer or turn off.
Generously salt the boiling water to the point that it tastes like sea water. Add the pasta and set a timer for 90 seconds less than the recommended cooking time on the package.
While the pasta is cooking, add the truffle puree to the cooked mushrooms.
When the timer has indicated that the set amount of time has passed, the pasta will still seem to be undercooked. Add a ladle full of the pasta water to the mushrooms and drain the pasta into a colander. Immediately add the pasta to the saute pan with the mushrooms. Turn up the heat to medium low and toss the pasta into the sauce.
Add the freshly snipped chives (not used in the photographed recipe) and the white truffle oil. Continue to toss ingredients together in pan over heat for 30-60 seconds.
Season with fleur de sel and freshly ground black pepper and serve immediatlely with parmesan cheese for those who might want it.