This is one of those recipes that came about because there was a need to use some of those bits and pieces left over from other things … in this case it was just a few mushrooms and some bacon. Since then, of course, it has evolved into the recipe given here. It turned out to be a very rich sauce so you don’t need a lot of it with your pasta.





















what to put in it

enough for at least four

olive oil
3 or 4 rashers smoked back bacon cut across the rasher into pieces about ¼ in wide
(or approximately ¼ oz or 100 gms pancetta: I think this was better)
couple of inches chorizo sliced
1 medium onion, chopped and 4 spring onions, chopped – keep the tops but not chopped
3 sticks celery, chopped
2 cloves garlic – or not
4-6 mushrooms sliced
1 glass red wine
1 pint chicken stock
2 tins chopped tomatoes
6 - 8 pitted black kalamata olives chopped
4 bay leaves
a good pinch of dried oregano
dessert spoon basil, torn
sea salt and black pepper
grated parmesan

how to do it

heat olive oil
fry pancetta and chorizo until it starts to go crisp – the chorizo is for the flavour; remove it before adding any liquid
fry onions and celery
fry spring onions and mushrooms - add spring onion tops for flavour but remove them before adding any liquid
put in red wine, stock, tomatoes, oregano, bay leaves and freshly ground black pepper
simmer with the lid on for an hour or two
cook tagliatelle, drain, return to pan, add a good glug of extra virgin olive oil, black pepper and torn basil leaves
serve pasta with a little sauce (two-thirds pasta, one-third sauce)
grated parmesan on the table
serve it on white porcelain
drink any wine you fancy