Hit the Easy Button on this Pasta!
Creamy with a slow-cooked, mild garlicky flavor, this pasta dinner is a cinch to make. The secret ingredient is the amazing Black Garlic Sauce from Oil & Vinegar – who said a fancy dinner couldn’t be on the table in less than 15 minutes!
Packed with umami, this black garlic sauce is velvety, rich, earthy, with a satisfying and refined flavor. So, what is black garlic? Black garlic is made when regular garlic is aged under controlled heat and humidity facilitating the Maillard reaction that turns the cloves inky black and with a sticky date-like consistency. But oh, what it does to the flavor is extraordinary!
BE BRAVE and try some black garlic, either in this sauce, which is a great easy first try, or purchase whole bulbs or single cloves from an Asian market or specialty grocery store. If you would like a recipe for a home-made black garlic sauce for the pasta instead, email me.
Paired with a hand-made Italian pasta, some seasoned, sautéed mushrooms and topped with some shaved parmesan cheese, this pasta comes together in no time, and makes an easy weeknight dinner or a fancy entrée for company.
Creamy Black Garlic & Mushroom Pasta
Ingredients
2 tablespoons O&V Roasted Garlic oil *
¼ cup thinly sliced shallots
16 oz sliced mushrooms (cremini or a combination of your favorite mushrooms)
2 tablespoons O&V Tuscan Dipper Seasoning *
¾ cup dry white wine (or vegetable/chicken broth)
3-4 sprigs thyme (plus more for garnish)
6-8 oz O&V hand-made Spaghetti
½ cup O&V Black Garlic Sauce (or more to your taste) *
Freshly cracked black pepper to taste
4 tablespoons shaved Parmesan cheese
Preparation
Bring a pot of well salted water to the boil for the pasta.
In a saucepan, heat the Roasted Garlic oil in medium high, add the shallots and cook for 2 minutes till softened. Then add the mushrooms. Cook, stirring continuously until tender and starting to brown (about 4-5 minutes). Add the Tuscan spice mix and thyme sprigs and stir well. Cook an additional 2 minutes.
Add in the wine and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat and let simmer till the wine is reduced to less than a ¼ cup of liquid in the pan.
Simultaneously, boil the pasta in salted water according to the package directions and drain.
Pour the black garlic sauce into the pan and add the cooked and drained pasta. Season with freshly cracked pepper, toss well, and serve immediately, garnished with shaved parmesan cheese and some thyme leaves.
Serves 4-6
Active Time: 15 minutes Total Time: 15 minutes
Note:
The Roasted Garlic oil adds another layer of garlicky flavor to this pasta. The Tuscan dipper seasoning mix has a great combination of flavors that season the mushrooms to perfection. You can substitute the oil with a high-quality unflavored EVOO, but you will lose a little of that garlicky punch and the dipper spice can be replaced with your favorite Italian spice blend, although that too will change out the flavors of the dish.
I always recommend a high end, bronze die cut pasta like the hand-made Spaghetti, as it holds sauces much better than steel die cut commercial pastas. You can purchase it at any Oil & Vinegar stores. The Black Garlic Sauce is unique and is the essence of the flavors in this pasta. If you would like to make a black garlic sauce from scratch, email me, and I will be happy to send you a recipe that, while different, will work well too.
Categories: Vegetarian, Entrée, Snacks & Sides, Pasta, Roasted Garlic Oil, Tuscan Dipper Seasoning, Hand-Made Spaghetti, Black Garlic Sauce, Easy Dinner, Weeknight Meal, Mushroom, Easy Entertaining, Quick Dinner,
