Pasta with Mushrooms, Bacon and Creamy Tomato Sauce

This pasta dish is all about building layers of flavours, and is a great cookery example of how to do just that.

So start by browing some chopped garlic in a little olive oil, remove. Add to the pan chopped bacon (I always used smoked) and fry until slightly brown - even slightly crispy, remove.

Now, next time you see a Polish shop  I implore you to go in and look for 'borowiki' in English 'Ceps', in Italian, 'Porcini', using them you will elevate your food, I know you can buy posh mushrooms in Sainsburys but buy them at a Polish shop and some of their awesome bread, oh and some other things that take your fancy too. Anyway just soak a couple in half a mug of boling water for twenty mins or so.

Next add sliced chestnut mushrooms, or whatever you have, to the frying pan in a little more oil,  and really sweat them down till they start to release their juices. Then add the soaked ceps, stir a bit and then add their juice then the passata, allow to bubble for five mins. Season.

Put your pasta into boiling water with salt and a teaspoon of olive oil.

Add the bacon back in, and when your pasta is cooked, add some cream to your dish, do not stir it in, drain your pasta well and add to the sauce, doing that will move the cream in.

Serve with thinly sliced Pecorino. 

The Italians say:-

Una ciliegia tira l’altra

One cherry leads to another, you can't stop eating it!