Mushroom Pasta with Port

This week's recipe comes from my all-time favorite cookbook: the Vegetarian Bible (here's a link to the Amazon page, should you want a copy). It's super delicious and pretty simple to make, to boot. Today I present:

Mushroom Pasta with Port

Ingredients:
4 tablespoons butter (I'm actually watching my calorie intake, so I substituted for light margarine and used less than this amount)
2 tablespoons olive oil
6 shallots, sliced
6 cups white mushrooms, sliced
1 teaspoon all-purpose flour
Scant 3/4 cup heavy cream (I used a bit less here too)
2 tablespoons Port wine
4 ounces sun-dried tomatoes, chopped
Now the recipe calls for freshly grated nutmeg, but I just put in a teaspoon of the regular pre-grated
1 pound dried spaghetti
1 tablespoon parsley, chopped
Salt and pepper, to taste

Here they are:

Serves: 4 (706 calories per serving, with the changes I made); Prep time: It took about 20 minutes (I got pre-sliced mushrooms, so that probably helped); Cooking time: 30 minutes, give or take

Directions:
1. Heat the butter and half of the oil in a big saucepan. Add the shallots and cook for about three minutes over medium heat. Add the mushrooms, turn the burner down to low, and cook for two minutes. Season with salt and pepper, add the flour, and cook for one minute, stirring constantly.

2. Gradually stir in the Port and cream, then add the tomatoes and nutmeg. Cook over low heat for eight minutes.

3. While that's cooking, bring a pot of lightly salted water to a boil. Add the spaghetti and the rest of the olive oil and cook twelve to fourteen minutes

During this wait time, I took a picture of my cat Pippa, who decided to lay down in the napkin basket:

4. Drain the spaghetti and put it back in the pan. Pour the mushroom mixture over the spaghetti and cook for three minutes. Serve and enjoy.

Recipe review: It's more calories than I like to consume at one meal, but it was totally worth it. I'm definitely keeping this recipe handy for a special treat.

Happy eating.

Cheers,
Emma