When I was a kid my Dad would make Spag Bol and bring it to the table in the pan it was all cooked in……this used to horrify me as a 9 year old. Don’t ask me where my airs and graces at that tender age came from but it seriously bummed me out!

My fathers methodology was nothing to do with ‘rustic’ dinning but was instead all to do with the efficiency in the kitchen after the eating and during the washing up. As an ‘adult’ I regularly adopt the ‘dinner in a pan’ approach but for a meld of the two reasons I’ve mentioned here….I love share style food in a pan and I fucking hate washing up 🙂

Serves 2

200 grams Spaghetti or Linguini
50 grams dried Porcini – the best you can get
(soaked, drained and roughly chopped)
2-3 good handfuls of fresh baby spinach
1-2  table spoons single cream
Slat and cracked black
a big lug of good white wine
2-3 cloves minced garlic
A pile of fresh Pecorino grated
1/2 red onion minced
Fresh parsley chopped

As with a lot of week-day kitchen work this is swift and to the point but is still dam impressive if you nail it correctly!

Bounce off by soaking the Porcini in boiling water, just cover them and let them sit for at least 20mins (is do this the night before). The liquor you want to keep for you sauce but it will be gritting so sieve it.

In a shallow pan saute off 1/2 a minced red onion with the a little Olive oil and the garlic. When the onion starts to colour sling in the wine and reduce until almost gone then in with the Porcinis and spinach reduce the heat and cook out for about 8-10 minutes.

This is where your mushroom liquor comes in – use it to create a sauce for the spinach and mushroom so spoon it into the pan as they cook gently.

To bring the dish to a finish sling in the cream, stir well and season with the salt and pepper.

Add in the cooked Spag or Linguini and serve everything in the pan – for reference on ‘pan serving’ check the pic out above!