Friday 9 January 2009

pasta with pancetta, leek & mushrooms


Being Friday night, i was tempted to order a takeaway but then felt guilty about certain items in my fridge that really needed using up, or they would have to be thrown away over the weekend...

As i am also planning to go running first thing in the morning, i decided a big bowl of pasta was required (carbo-phobes look away now...).

I have made this recipe before and whilst it was nice, it seemed to be lacking something so i used some fresh sage rather than the recommended flat leaf parsley.

Recipe below feeds 4 but i did 1/4 of everything (i increased the pasta from 75g per person to 100g as i prefer to have to struggle to eat the last few mouthfuls, rather than want to cook it all over again immediately!).

Adapted from the recipe featured in Gordon Ramsay's Fast Food

400g dried pasta (i used penne)
sea salt and black pepper
4 tbsp olive oil
125g pancetta, sliced
a handful of fresh sage, finely shredded
2 medium leeks, trimmed and finely sliced
250g chestnut mushrooms, trimmed and sliced
4 tbsp creme fraiche

Add the pasta shells to a pot of boiling salted water and cook for the time advised on the pack or until al dente.
Meanwhile, heat the olive oil in a large frying pan and add the pancetta, fry for a few minutes until golden. Add the leeks and mushrooms and a little salt and pepper. Stir over a high heat for 6-8 mins until the leeks are tender.
Drain the pasta and immediately toss with the leeks, pancetta and mushrooms, and stir in the creme fraiche. Season with salt and pepper and serve, finishing with a drizzle of olive oil and some fresh basil.

Yum yum - and now i really DO need to go running in the morning!

1 comment:

  1. Sounds gorgeous, will have to make this. I do love a good pasta dish :)

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