Fettuccine with Mushrooms and Hazelnuts

"Delish" ... good enough for company and genuinely quick/easy.

Please forgive me, but I'm going to review this recipe based on alterations I made. For this recipe I switched the exotic blend mushrooms with Shitake, Cremini, and Regular Mushrooms. The blend was 3.59 a box, which would have made the meal almost 4 dollars/ serving. I also was forced to use box fettuccine because I could not get my hands on fresh pasta. I also used Parmesan instead of Parmesan-Reggiano because it was what I had. I also used non-blanched whole Oregon Hazelnuts, which I blanched at home (makes your house smell delicious). And you know what, it was still fantastic. The pasta absorbs the juices of the mushrooms oddly well, the garlic and hazelnuts worked very well together, and the Shiitake did have a distinctive flavor, which makes me excited about making this again with the exotic blend. I reduced the serving to about a cup to also get through some leftover chicken we had, which brought the recipe to about 1.50/ serving, and the pasta itself was very filling.

Outstanding, indeed! I made the recipe as stated, except to add a tiny bit more butter to the cooking liquid at the end to enrich it a bit. The mushrooms were meaty and earthy, the sage was the perfect herb to highlight the flavors and the hazelnuts added a beautiful buttery crunch. (My hazelnuts were not blanched or pre-chopped but it made no difference to the taste, look or timing for the meal.) The cheese was perfect to top the dish. I would definitely serve this to company, and it was a very elegant-tasting meatless dish, especially for such effortless and simple preparation. Highly recommended.

OMG - absolutely fabulous! Loved it. My husband who "hates nuts in his food" also really liked it. The butter makes it rich and if you like hazelnuts this is the best (hazelnuts are on his bad list too). Use a few different mushrooms and cook and carmelize them well. Next time (and I can't wait for the next time) I will use more mushrooms (keeping the butter and oil constant) and I will use more than 3/4 c of pasta water - i will increase it to 1 cup to make it a little moister. If you are counting calories or points make sure you measure this - it is so good you will have trouble with portion size. I can not wait to make this again. First recipe I'm sharing on Facebook - run and make this!

And today's special is.............