The inspiration recipe below made me hungry but it sounded a bit fiddly to make especially since I don't own a food processor, and I didn't like the idea of blitzing my lovely punnet of mushrooms into a paste anyway. I also happened to have some bacon in the fridge and, though I am usually up for nori in any form, decided to use it instead.
This recipe can only be referred to as an umami bomb and will make your house smell insanely delicious while it cooks. Once you have plated up, you will need to watch yourself so as not to inhale your portion of the pasta rather too rapidly...
4 portions of fresh linguini (pasta portions being subjective)
8 oz assorted mushrooms, at least half being shiitake
1/2 lb lean bacon cut into 1/4 inch pieces
1 shallot, peeled and finely diced
2 cloves garlic, peeled and finely diced
2 tsps brown sugar
1 Tbsp soy sauce
1 tsp Chinese five spice
1 Tbsp brandy
Put a pot of salted water on to boil for the pasta.
Put the bacon, shallot and garlic in a skillet over medium heat. When the bacon is cooked through (not crispy) and the shallot is translucent, add the mushrooms and lower the heat. Because it is lean, it should not render too much oil but if it does, drain off the excess (NOT down your drain) before proceeding with the next step.
Cook until the mushrooms are tender and have released most if their moisture. At that point, add the brown sugar, brandy and Chinese five spice and cook until all the liquid in the pan has been reabsorbed. Turn off the heat under the skillet.
By this time, the water for the pasta should have boiled. Cook the pasta for 30 seconds less than indicated in the directions. As soon as the pasta is cooked, ladle one ladleful of pasta water into the mushrooms and drain the pasta.
Turn the heat back on under the sauce, add the soy sauce, stir so that everything is combined and add the pasta to the sauce.
Stir well to distribute the mushrooms and bacon throughout the linguini, and make suree that the sauce adheres to all of the strands of pasta
Inspiration recipe, here.
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