Category: mushroom

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food mushroom pancetta rice

pancetta & pea risotto


Risotto is a deeply calming dish, both to cook and especially to eat. What amazes me about risotto is that it starts the same but can end so many ways depending on what you add.

It starts with: onions fried gently, then the heat turned up as your arborio or carnaroli rice is added. A handy tip for measuring rice: two handfuls per person. The rice needs to get hot and toasted all over to prepare it for absorbing stock. Stock should be boiling the background (thank you, last week’s chicken stock). Booze is needed here, a glass of white wine is best. Allow this to bubble to nearly nothing. Then stock is added a ladelful at a time, allowing it to reduce away until sticky. You need a bit of armwork, stirring away to move the rice off the bottom of the pan. Once the rice is tender and tasty, you can eat as is (a little dull) or add what works for you.
For me, it’s grated parmesan and butter, vigorously stirred through. In this case I added pancetta fried just beforehand, kept to one side then put back into the rice at the end. Some frozen peas and it’s ready. Eat with a spoon and a lazy grin.
Categories
beef food mushroom

stroganoff

A handsome, rich and satisfying meal. I’ll admit that’s one of the worst photos of food in the world, sorry. Tastes good though, promise.

I start by dusting strips of steak in flour and paprika, then frying quickly and leaving to one side. Then I fry an onion, garlic, thyme and sliced mushrooms until softened. Then a nice bit of flambé with brandy (although I used whisky tonight), some scary flames, and then the meat goes back in to warm, accompanied by some sliced gherkin. Some creme fraiche now, and after a touch of seasoning it’s there. Perfect with rice.
I must have made this with eight or nine different recipes, and it tastes the same every single time.
Categories
food leeks mushroom pancetta pasta

gordon’s pasta

Crappy name, sorry about that. But we’ve never settled on a better name for this heavenly and wholesome dish, that not only celebrates the ingredients in it, but is an absolute triumph of speed and economy. I found it via Gordon Ramsay’s Fast Food: Recipes from The F Word, hence the name.

Five ingredients – that’s all you need – pancetta, leeks, chestnut mushrooms, creme fraiche, conchiglie or shell pasta (I’ve tried all shapes and shells are the best).

Get some pasta going in boiling water. Two tips here: make sure the water is at “the rolling boil” and going great guns. Secondly, always salt the water. How much? The best advice I heard was “twice as much as you think you need” which never fails me. The pancetta starts off in a medium-heat big saucepan, and once slightly crispy, leeks go in. When tender, mushrooms, then a couple of minutes later a small tub of creme fraiche is added while the heat goes down. Season up now and have a taste. As there’s not a lot of cooking going on it’s going to need good seasoning to bring the flavours out. By now the pasta should be done (al dente please) so drain that and add a splash of cooking water and the shells to the mix and toss together.

That’s it. Honestly. For perfection I add a dash of chopped parsley, but it’s such a celebration of each of its parts it’s really difficult to get wrong. Salty pancetta, tangy leeks, meaty mushrooms and a tart creamy finish, all cupped in a little pasta shell. Brilliant.

“Gordon’s pasta”:

200g conchiglie pasta

2 medium leeks, washed and sliced

75g diced pancetta

250g chestnut mushrooms, sliced

300ml creme fraiche

Bunch of parsley, finely chopped

  1. Cook the pasta according to the packet instructions.
  2. Fry the pancetta in a hot pan with some oil until starting to crisp.
  3. Add the leeks and fry until tender.
  4. Add the mushrooms and fry until softened. Season.
  5. Lower the heat, add the creme fraiche and stir through.
  6. Add a couple of tablespoons of the pasta water, then add the shells. Stir thoroughly.
  7. Check for seasoning, serve into bowls and top with parsley.
Categories
bacon food mushroom pasta

pea, bacon and mushroom pasta

Here’s a mouthful. A little of everything in one bowl, quick and tasty.

I got some spaghetti on to boil whilst the pan business goes on. A quick frying of some bacon in a pan, and then some frozen peas and sliced chestnut mushrooms. Whilst that fries up I took a trip to the windowbox to collect some woody, aromatic thyme. I think it’s my favourite herb, so robust and penetrating, leaving a comforting note. I chuck a few leaves in with everything else.
Pasta’s about done now, so I drain that and chuck it in the pan with some creme fraiche and lemon juice. A quick season, a sloosh around for a couple of minutes, and in a bowl it goes. Instant and tasty.
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