WIld Garlic take 2

I've received many nice comments about my post from Friday night's dinner...and the introduction of new vegetables... so I thought I would share another way to use wild garlic.  Last night I used the last handful of wild garlic (before it wilted by its own accord) and made Penne with Crispy Pancetta, Portobello Mushrooms and Wild Garlic.

This was one of those simple suppers that I really should have saved for a work night but I couldn't risk leaving the wild garlic too long.  It is only in season for such a short period I didn't want to waste it!  By the time it takes to boil the water and cook the pasta the sauce is done, it is all tossed together and voila!

Ingredients

(SERVES 2)

250g penne or other pasta shape (orecchiette works well too)

6 or 7 slices of thin smoked pancetta sliced into matchsticks

2 portobello mushrooms, cubed

handful of wild garlic

olive oil (i used chili infused olive oil)

Method

1.Put water onto boil, add pasta when ready to start sauce (reserve a mug of cooking water)

2.While pasta is cooking sautee mushrooms in some butter.

3.When mushrooms are cooked, remove from pan and wipe the pan out to clean out any mushroom juices.

4.Drizzle some olive oil in pan, add pancetta and fry until crispy. **There is enough fat in the pancetta to cook without the oil, but you will find you need a bit more oil to hold the sauce together and flavour the pasta***

5.By this point the pasta should be cooked. If it isn't then remove the pan with the pancetta from the heat and return it to the heat when ready to drain the pasta and finish the sauce.

6.Add the mushrooms back to the pan with pancetta and place the wild garlic on top.

7.Drain the pasta and add to pan with the sauce, toss to combine.  **The heat from the pasta and pancetta oil will wilt the wild garlic**

8.There should be enough oil to coat and flavour the pasta, if not add a bit more or a splash of the reserved cooking water. 

Serve in big bowls with lots of grated parmesan cheese and cracked black pepper. 

You could always used spinach instead of wild garlic and just sautee some chopped garlic wihen you cook the mushrooms!

Enjoy! x