Fettuccine Portabella

When I was growing up we almost never went out to eat, but on the special occasions that we did it was usually to a cafe nearby that looked like a diner inside and had a large dairy menu. We kids almost always chose the pancakes which came served to us in large fluffy stacks we could hardly see over and could never finish but which were insanely light and delicious. My parents would naturally choose something more adult-y and I vividly remember that my mother would order the same pasta dish each time- fettuccine with portabella mushrooms and peas. It was a simple dish cooked in a light garlic sauce and when I was old enough to want to taste it I immediately realized how good it was. Now, every time I see portabella's in the market I think of this dish and as I had Gourmet Lunch Wednesday to cook for I decided to try to recreate it and this is what I came up with.


1 1b. Fettuccine
6 cloves garlic, minced
50 grams butter (about 3 Tbls)
3 Tbl olive oil
3 Tbl dry white wine
8 large Portabella mushrooms, cleaned and thinly sliced
1/2 cup frozen peas
1/2 cup Parmesan cheese, optional
salt and pepper to taste

Cook the Fettuccine in a lot of well salted water. Drain and set aside. In a large saute pan melt the butter with the olive oil and saute the garlic in it for a couple of minutes making sure not to burn the garlic. Add the mushrooms and white wine, season with salt and pepper and let it cook another 2-3 minutes. Add the Fettuccine straight into the saute pan and put the frozen peas on top and mix all together over low heat for another minute. Re-season with salt and pepper. Top with Parmesan cheese.

a trip down memory lane: