vegoftheweek

Inside The Oven: What I Do With Truffle Oil. Week Links: What You Can Do With Truffle Oil.

There are several sections in the grocery store I like to hang around in even if I don’t plan on buying anything. And believe it or not, it’s not the produce section. Call it the food version of window shopping. One happens to be the vegan and organic personal supplies section, such as lotions, body washes, lip balm, you name it. Included in this section would be toothpaste, where I can find awesome flavors like licorice and orange mint. The second section is the snack aisle, go figure. Even a vegetarian who tries to be healthy can’t resist crunchy munchies. And there are cooler versions than your usual Lay’s potato chips, such as tamari flavored chips. There. That was good excuse. The last section is the oil and condiment department.

While some look at the oil section as fattening and just as sinful as the bakery goodies, I see oils as an opportunity to change a dish you’ve made regularly, try a new dish, or cater to your different cooking needs, such as olive for salads and medium heat sauteing or safflower for high heat big and bad real frying. There are oils that are especially delicious with dessert recipes, such as coconunt oil, flavored oils, such as garlic, and oils with a plethora of spices designed to accompany bread for dipping. I’ve added truffle oil to my collection of favorites.

Truffle oil gets around and has quite a reputation. I’d read about what it could do for whipped beans, green vegetables, potatoes, among other things. I tried it on all of the above, but found it to be most delightful over one of my favorite Amy’s frozen dinners. Learn what Amy’s dish I put truffle oil over and several other ways to use it after the break.

Amy’s has a tofu scramble that almost doesn’t need anything added to it-tender bites of tofu mixed with vegetables such as carrots and spinach along with shredded potatoes. So if eating Amy’s Tofu Scramble is like winning the lottery, eating Amy’s Tofu Scramble with truffle oil is like winning the lottery and not having to pay taxes on it. Oh, yeah…

The texture of trufflle oil is very light, almost like mirin, or another type of syrup, rather than oil. Truffle oil is not necessarily for the faint of pocketbook. A 4 oz. bottle will run you about $15, the same price you could get a 16 oz. bottle of organic extra virgin olive oil. However, a little goes a long way and I only use a couple of drops on the tofu and potatoe part of the Amy’s dish. Most other recipes only call for a few drops or a teaspoon at most. It’s well worth the price. And if you win the lottery, you won’t have to worry about food prices. You will still have to pay taxes on your prize, though, so don’t even try to say I put that idea into your mind.

This week’s week links are just several suggestions, uses, and recipes to use your truffle oil once you bring it home. Do you have any other ways to use truffle oil?

Week Links:

Israeli Couscous Loves Being Topped With a Few Drops of Truffle Oil (Bok Choy Bohemia)

Spaghetti With Truffle Oil (Recipe Zaar)

Truffle Macaroni and Cheese (Betty Teller)

Truffled Wild Mushrooms Over Whipped White Beans (Megabeth via Vegetarian Times)