Tuesday, March 11, 2014

Rigatoni and Mushrooms Marsala with Bacon and Peas

Tonight was a grab out of the fridge and create as you go night, my favorite way of cooking. Mushrooms were buy one get two free at my local grocer this week so I had 2 10 oz packages to use up. I also had some bacon that needed to be used so this is what I came up with.
2 10 oz packages of white mushrooms
5 strips of bacon fried, chopped and set aside
a handful of frozen peas
1 shallot finely chopped
1/4 cup marsala
1 can of chicken broth 
1 tablespoon of butter
1 tablespoon of olive oil
1 heaping tablespoon of flour
1/4 cup heavy cream
a sprinkling of parmesan
1 tablespoon of chopped parsley 
salt and fresh cracked pepper to taste
1 lb pasta of your choice I used rigatoni

First I added the butter and the oil to a large skillet, then I added the shallots and cooked for about 3 minutes. Then I added the mushrooms and cooked until nice and caramelized about 5 minutes on medium high heat seasoning with salt and pepper. Next I sprinkled the flour over top and cooked for another minute or so, I deglazed the pan with the marsala and cooked another minute. Then I added the chicken stock, peas and heavy cream and reduced it a tiny bit. Set the sauce to simmer until the pasta is cooked. Drain the pasta and add to the pan, add the bacon, parsley and cheese and serve.
*save some of the pasta water just in case it's a little dry
**crusty bread for sopping up the juices is a must