Wild Mushroom and Double Smoked Bacon Linguine

Mushrooms are one of my all time favorite foods and one of my favorite ways to enjoy mushrooms is in a quick and tasty pasta with bacon, cream and cheese. I had not had this dish in a while and I was recently reminded of it by a post on Butter and Sugar for spaghetti with mushrooms and bacon. I stopped by the market on the weekend to pick up the ingredients and I came home with a combination of shiitake, cremini and oyster mushrooms. While I was walking by the butchers shop I noticed that they were selling bacon that they had made and I wondered how it would compare to the store bought vacuum sealed packages that I normally use. They had a few different types and I thought that I would start by trying the double smoked variety. This meal comes together in under 20 minutes and the results are always good. You just can't go wrong with creamy sauteed mushrooms, salty bacon and cheese! The double smoked bacon was pretty good. It was thicker and not nearly as fatty as the vacuum sealed and it did have a nice hint of smokiness which went nicely with the mushrooms and pasta.

Wild Mushroom and Double Smoked Bacon Linguine

(makes 2 servings)
Printable Recipe

Ingredients:
4 strips bacon (cut into 1 inch pieces)
8 ounces wild mushrooms (sliced, your favorite mushrooms)
1/2 pound linguine (I used whole wheat)
1 clove garlic (chopped)
1 teaspoon thyme
1/4 cup white wine (or dry sherry, or chicken stock)
1 splash heavy cream
salt and pepper to taste
1 tablespoon parsley (chopped, optional)
parmigiano reggiano (grated)

Directions:
1. Cook the bacon in a pan and set aside retaining 1 tablespoon of the grease.
2. Add the mushrooms and saute until golden brown and just starting to caramelize, about 7-15 minutes.
3. When the mushrooms are halfway done start cooking the pasta as directed on the package.
4. Add the garlic and thyme to the mushrooms and saute for a minute.
5. Add the wine, deglaze the pan and simmer to reduce a bit.
6. Remove from the heat and stir in the heavy cream, bacon and parsley.
7. Season with pepper. (It should already be salty enough from the bacon.)
8. Toss the mushrooms with the pasta.
9. Serve topped with the parmigiano reggiano.

Similar Recipes:
Wild Mushrooms Sauteed in Butter, Sherry and Lemon
Roasted Mushroom Pesto on Penne
Mushroom and Thyme Farro Salad
Shrimp and Mushroom Fettuccine with Corn and Pancetta
Spinach Salad with Bacon, Caramelized Onions, Mushrooms and Blue Cheese in a Bacon Pan Sauce Dressing Topped with a Hard Boiled Egg

Take a look at the Presto Pasta Nights roundup on Once Upon a Feast.