I love the Italian kitchen. Fresh quality ingredients, simple preparation combine to make the most delectable dishes that are not only pleasing to the eye, but satisfy the belly. Unfortunately I wasn’t born Italian, but no one said I couldn’t convert. Living la dolce vita one bite at a time. Mark my words, I will live in Italy at some point in my life, but until then I will continue making one exquisite dish after another in my Spanish kitchen. 

Fresh Truffle Pasta with White Wine Mushroom & 

Sun Dried Tomato Sauce

2 Tbsp Butter

1 Tbsp Olive Oil

1 Shallot, minced

1 cup Button Mushrooms, sliced

1 cup Baby Portabella Mushrooms, sliced

¼ cup Sun Dried Tomatoes, sliced

2 tsp Fresh Rosemary, minced

1 ½ cup Dry Chardonnay

¼ tsp Sea Salt

¼ tsp White Pepper

2 cups Fresh Spinach

¼ cup Grated Parmesan

250 grams Fresh Truffle Tagliolini

In a large sauté pan melt butter over medium high heat and add olive oil. Sauté shallots, mushrooms, sun dried tomatoes and rosemary until the mushrooms look dry, the liquid has evaporated and the mushrooms are browned. Add chardonnay, salt and pepper. Simmer and reduce the liquid by half.

Prepare the pasta according to package directions and drain. Add the spinach before adding the pasta and allow to wilt for 30 seconds. Add pasta to the sauce tossing the ingredients evenly through the pasta. Add the Parmesan cheese, toss lightly and serve.

Lemon Seared Salmon

2 Tbsp Olive Oil

4 Filets of Salmon (3-4 ounce filets), remove skin and bones

2 Lemons

Sea Salt

Sweet Smoked Paprika

White Pepper

After fileting the salmon onto a plate or cutting board, season each filet with a small pinch of sea salt, white pepper and sprinkle a light dusting of paprika over both sides of the filet. With a micro plane, zest the lemons evenly over all four filets. Heat olive oil over medium high heat in a medium size sauté pan.

Place filets in the sauté pan. Cook on each side 2-3 minutes or until the vibrant pink center cooks nearly through. I serve my salmon medium to medium well. Do not overcook, as the salmon will be dry.

Serve about 1 cup of pasta with each filet. Garnish with shaved Parmesan.