This must be one of the easiest recipes I can think of, nothing fancy, super quick and really tasty. It’s a perfect mid-week meal when you don’t have time for anything big, easily done in 30 minutes or less. I always make extra, because it is so easy to eat and so good, it’s hard to put the fork down. Any leftovers can be reheated the next day for lunch.
Use good quality, smoked streaky bacon. The cheaper bacon is pumped full of water that will make the dish a bit soggy in my opinion. I use chestnut mushrooms in this recipe but you can mix it up with all sorts of different mushrooms; portobello, shiitake or cep/porcini mushrooms. I would recommend a mushroom with a good, robust flavour. Mushrooms with a subtle flavour like oyster mushrooms, would be lost among the stronger smoked bacon and leek flavours and that would be an expensive waste of some good mushrooms.
Because this recipe is so simple, you can spend time making your own pasta if you wish. It’s a great way to test out different homemade pasta recipes because you don’t have to focus on anything else. The best types of pasta for this dish are ones like pappardelle, fettuccine or tagliatelle
Ingredients (serves 2):
300g Smoked Streaky Bacon
200g Leeks
250g Chestnut Mushrooms
300-400g Fettuccine Pasta
Extra Virgin Olive Oil
Method:
1. Wash and slice the leeks to your desired thickness.
2. Slice the bacon into lardons.
3. Fill a pan with water, salt it and then bring it to the boil.
4. Clean and slice the mushrooms.
5. Heat two tablespoons of Extra virgin in a large saute or frying pan.
6. Add the bacon and then the leeks and fry at a medium-high heat until the leeks have softened.
7. Cook the pasta as per packet instructions.
8. Add the mushrooms and continue to fry, season with salt and pepper, add more oil if required.
9. Once the mushrooms and pasta have cooked, drain the pasta and add it to the frying pan.
10. Fry quickly for another minute, check seasoning then serve. You can top it with a little olive oil and some grated pecorino cheese if you wish.
Tips:
– One option is to add 2-3 tablespoons of Creme Fraiche near the end, this will add a rich, creamy and slightly tangy flavour to the mix.
– Alternatively add a little heat by frying some chillies with the leeks or adding Tabasco at the end.
– Adding herbs is a healthy option, try dill for some sweetness.
Don’t worry Hope, I’ve got a few more of these easy ones coming.
A recipe for my level of cooking!
Thanks Hope