Mid-week Mushroom &Pancetta Pasta
With mushrooms, broccoli and pancetta, and lemon infused pasta. This meal is full of flavour. But it only takes a mo’ to throw together. You’ll get it done easy after a hard day at work. It’s also a chance to try pasta al limone if you’re not already a regular.
Ingredients
4-5 Portobello mushrooms
5-6 strips of pancetta
1-2 heads of Broccoli
½ a lemon and zest (or use lemon infused pasta)
A sprinkle of pine nuts
1 diced red onion
1-2 good knobs of Butter
Olive Oil
Generous handful of grated parmesan
3-4 cloves of garlic (crushed)
A good pinch of brown sugar
Sliced red chilli (optional)
1/3 to ½ of red wine
Method
We always say, an easy cook comes down to the prep. It’s best to get everything ready first, so from there on it’s just timing.
1. To start, turn your oven to fan bake on 170 – 180 degrees. Rinse the broccoli, dry and dice. Next mix some olive oil, butter and garlic together, ready to drizzle over the broccoli halfway through roasting. Dice your mushrooms now too, for later
2. Once the oven is up to heat, roast broccoli for roughly 25-30 minutes. (You want a bit of crispy charring.) Remember to drizzle the oil, butter, and garlic with 10 minutes to go.
3. Fill a saucepan with water, about three quarters up and season generously with salt. (Go as salty as Piha beach.) At boiling point turn heat down to rolling boil and add the pasta
4. Heat a skillet and place diced mushrooms in the pan with a little olive oil, salt, paprika (for some smokey flavour) and caramelise on each side. Add diced red onion, a decent pinch of brown sugar, a knob of butter and crushed garlic. Cook and stir four 2-3 minutes then pour a wine for yourself and half a glass in the pan. Stir and allow to simmer until the liquid has reduced significantly.
5. The broccoli should be ready by now. If not leave it in roasting tray. Put the pancetta and pine nuts under the grill. Drain your pasta and keep some of that salty water goodness to add to the mixture in the skillet.
6. Turn the pancetta and cook until nice and crispy. Once at your liking, add the broccoli, pine nuts, and pancetta them to a pan. Throw in your pasta too (with a splash of the past water), and garnish with a good amount of parmesan, salt and pepper.
NOTE, if you haven’t used pasta al limone, sprinkle the zest of a lemon and the juice of a approximately half a lemon to cooked pasta prior to mixing.