This delicious pasta recipe cooks in minutes and makes a delicious vegetarian meal (if served with a vegetarian hard cheese). The wine and earthy, wrinkled porcini in the sauce give it a lovely rich flavour. It is a wonderful, rich supper that can be cooked in large quantities for friends or family.
Ingredients
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 25g (1oz) butter
- 1 onion, finely chopped
- 2 garlic cloves, finely chopped
- 6 slices smoked pancetta, finely sliced
- 25g (1oz) dried porcini mushrooms, soaked in 200ml (7fl oz) hot water
- 100ml (3fl oz) white wine
- 400g tin chopped tomatoes
- 500g (1lb 2oz) penne
- 2 tbsp flat leaved parsley, chopped
- Freshly grated Parmesan to serve
Method
Melt the butter with the olive oil in a large saucepan, add the onion and sweat for 5 minutes. Add the garlic and pancetta and cook for another 2-3 minutes.
Meanwhile, drain the porcini mushrooms, reserving all the soaking liquid and roughly chop. Add to the onion and garlic mixture and pour over the white wine.
Boil rapidly to reduce the wine by half, add the tomatoes, season well with salt and pepper. Strain the reserved porcini soaking water through a sieve lined with kitchen paper to remove any grit and add to the tomato sauce. Simmer the sauce for twenty minutes until thick.
Cook the pasta in a large pan of boiling salted water, according to the packet instructions, drain well, put the pasta back in the pan and pour over the sauce. Toss well so that the pasta is evenly coated and divide between four warmed plates. Scatter over the chopped parsley and serve with plenty of Parmesan.
