Fettucine Alfredo on a Portobella Bed

For some reason, I was horribly in the mood for pasta this weekend. No clue why. I used to eat pasta all the time, and then suddenly *poof*--all pasta-cravings gone. But apparently we need a fix now and then, no matter how clean we might be.

So on Friday night, I decided to try the Candle Cafe alfredo sauce. I had my doubts about it, as it's a bizarre concoction of silken tofu, soy sauce, tahini, and a bunch of garlic. And that's it. And that just sounded plain old bizarre. Especially since I'm not too huge a fan of tahini. And yet, the recipe is quite brilliant, and damn tasty, and really doesn't taste like tahini or soy sauce or tofu at all. I was quite impressed.

I shan't post the recipe for it here--it'll just be more incentive for you to buy the damn book (especially since it's a good one)--but I *will* give the recipe to the rest of the meal, and you can just fill in the blank with whatever alfredo sauce you choose.

The contrast between the sweet booziness of the mushroom and the saltiness of the alfredo is quite delightful. And the portobella lends a juicy, almost steak-like quality to the meal--each bite tastes delightfully decadent. So definitely worth checking out.

INGREDIENTS:

• 2 large portobella caps


• 1/4 c. balsamic vinegar


• 1/4 c. Yellowtail shiraz wine


• 1-2 t. rosemary


• 1 box fettucine noodles


• Vegan alfredo sauce of your choosing (I used the Candle Cafe recipe)


• One fistful of basil leaves


• One dozen cherry/grape tomatoes


• 1/4 c. pine nuts, toasted

DIRECTIONS

Place vinegar and wine in a large container with the rosemary. Add your portobella caps and allow to marinate for at least a few hours.

Boil your noodles according to the directions on the package.

Whip up your alfredo sauce.

Toss your marinated 'shroom caps into a Foreman grill (or onto a grill-top hubcap on your stove) and grill until tender.

Roll your basil leaves into small cylinders and then cut them into tiny slivers. (There's some sorta frenchy-term for this, but I can't remember what it is. So we'll call it "voulez vous-ing" the basil.) Cut your cherry/grape tomatoes in half.

Place a mushroom cap on a plate. Top with noodles and alfredo. Sprinkle basil, tomatoes, and pine nuts on top to taste.