It’s #NationalPastaDay and the day came just in the nick of time. I was hungry, and on my (miles long) list of things to do was experiment with cooking with chocolate. Since I have a baby at home, and there is a pandemic in the outside world, I grabbed some everyday ingredients I had lying around the house (and garden) and started cooking. Flour City Pasta. Check. Mushrooms. Check. Butter. Check. Pittsford Farms Dairy Heavy Cream. Check. Onions and parsley from the garden. Check. (Do you notice that I love supporting local??) I had spiced hot chocolate from Laughing Gull Chocolates’ retail area and added walnuts and parmesan cheese for garnish at the end. 

This meal was so quick and easy. I couldn’t believe how delicious it was! Plus, it’s a crowd pleaser even for the toddlers. What 3 year old doesn’t like a meal with chocolate?! 

While the water boiled for the lemon garlic fettuccine, I sautéed onions, garlic and mushrooms. I melted butter, and heated it with heavy cream and some parmesan cheese as the pasta cooked. Voila. I poured the strained pasta into the cream sauce until well coated and plated it, and added the mushroom mixture. Then came the fun part.  

This meal needed a little extra flavor; I sprinkled a healthy spoonful of our spiced drinking chocolate on top, added walnuts and cacao nibs for texture and adorned with fresh parsley. 

It was yummy. I didn’t want to stop eating it. I didn’t really want to share either, but I asked Karla for her photography genius, and she and I ate it together. 

Will you try this meal? We have been loving experimenting cooking with chocolate. Either our drinking chocolate and our spiced rub is a great place to start. If you are really creative, our salted caramel chocolate can be used not only for baking, but in some savory dishes as well! Let us know what you cook with chocolate and how it turns out!

Final product! Yum!