Good restaurants never fail to inspire me. They want me to be a better cook. They inspire me to learn new things about cooking, learn new recipes, combinations, and flavors. And of course, they do satisfy my cravings — whether it’s for something sweet, savory, comforting, and even something truffle-ly (for lack of a better term).
Just recently, a cafe in Makati has given inspiration to cook more with sage, which I rarely cook with. So one Friday afternoon, I’ve decided to hit two birds with one stone. The first is to try to make my own version of the dish at home. And second, to cook more with sage.
Presenting to you my lunch — Linguine with Sage, Truffle, and Parma Ham. It’s fairly easy to make.
Ingredients
- Linguine noodles, 200 grams
- Sage, 1 cup
- Parma Ham Bits, 1 cup (I’ll explain shortly)
- Garlic
- Pepper
- Truffle Oil
- Parmesan Cheese
Directions
- While the noodles are cooking, start the sauce. Drizzle the pan with truffle oil. Saute the parma ham in medium heat. Once the ham starts to cook, lower the heat and add the garlic. While 3 cloves will give you good taste, I add more because I do love garlic. 🙂
Yes, they are leftovers from the deli. Still, parma ham bits have their same original flavor. They're much cheaper. And they are already pre-chopped. They're topnotch. And so, they make any cook's life simpler. Now, here’s my tip. I know that parma ham, jamon serrano, prosciutto can be heavy on the pocket. I just discovered that my some delis sell bits of these meats at considerably lower prices. So I bought my parma ham bits for only P116.00. They’re very practical. They’re vacuum packed, and they are already chopped. Which means, you just need to throw everything into the pan when ready.
- Add the cooked noodles and sage. Mix thoroughly. Add grated parmesan cheese and pepper. I do not add salt anymore as the parma ham bits are salty.
- Transfer to a plate. Add more cheese. I put an additional drizzle of truffle oil. Many times, the taste of truffle evaporates when heated.If you’re trying to save on the truffle oil (they are, after all, quite expensive), you can use ordinary extra virgin olive oil first when doing the saute of the ham. You can add truffle oil when you’re almost done cooking.
