Pasta with mushroom-whisky sauce ON FIRE!

The mushroom season is in full bloom, 

and I still haven't posted our favorite mushroom recipe of all time, yet. 

But this is about to change... 

NOW!

Forest in Schorfheide/Barnim near Berlin - photo by Beau Lark

Wil and I came up with the idea to this recipe cause we wanted to do something different than just mushroom risotto. So we decided to make pasta with a delicious self-created mushroom sauce you cannot go wrong with. The top-components for cooking mushrooms are definitely rosemary, onions, pepper and (smoked wooly pig-)bacon, and guess what: you can find all of these in this wonderful dish! Plus cream, whisky (WHISKY!) and balsamico-date essence. 

Me and the Steinpilz (Porcini) - photo by Beau Lark

Our harvest: Chanterelles, Porcini, Slippery Jack and Bay Boletes

We picked the mushrooms ourselves (I even found a pretty neat looking porcini!), and took tomatoes and rosemary from our little vegetable garden. The wooly pig bacon was from a small local market and the balsamico-date essence was a gift my best friend Kirsten gave to me a while ago.

Cooking at Anna and Beau's - photo by Beau Lark

What you need for a maximum of 4 people:

500g pasta (fussili, penne...)

400-500g mushrooms (about 2 cups, or a small basket, e.g. chanterelles and/or porcinis)

200g-250g bacon cubes/bits (for example from happy wooly pigs...the smokier the better!)

200g cream

3-4 twigs of rosemary, chopped

1 onion, chopped

2-3 garlic cloves, chopped

(a handful cherry tomatos, halved)

3-4cl whisky (same as with the bacon: the smokier the better e.g. a nice Bourbon)

1 Tbsp balsamico-date essence

4 Tbsp parmesan, freshly grated 

Ceaning and cutting the mushrooms - photo by Beau Lark

Clean the mushrooms by brushing them gently to remove the dirt. Do not wash them! Otherwise they'll lose their aroma. If too big cut the mushrooms into slices or smaller pieces. 

Wil cutting wooly pig bacon - photo by Beau Lark

Fry the bacon in a pan until crisp, remove from pan and set aside. 

Sautee the onions and garlic in the remaining bacon fat until translucent and golden. 

 Add the bacon, mushrooms sautee all-together for a minute or two on medium heat. 

Right before the fire action - photo by Beau Lark

Turn up to maxium heat, add the whisky and carefully 

with a lighter or long match set the whisky on fire. 

Flambé until the fire goes off (after about a minute or so). 

Rosemary and tomatoes - photo by Beau Lark

Add cherry tomatoes and rosemary, let the sauce simmer for another two minutes. 

Add the cream and the balsamico-date essence. 

Let it reduce for a few minutes. 

In the meantime cook the  pasta in boiling water with salt until al dente 

(9-12 minutes, depending on what the packaging says). 

Season the sauce with pepper and salt, if required 

(careful, the bacon and parmesan are already salty).

Dish up the pasta and pour the mushroom whisky cream sauce over it. 

Sprinkle with parmesan. 

Serve!

Ready!

PS:

• If you don not have balsamico-date essence, you can use a  plain balsamico essence or balsamico vinegar mixed with maple syrup, honey or brown sugar, instead. 
• This sauce is also good with a nice piece of meat (deer or beef). 
• I tried to write down the measurements as exact as possible, which isn't that easy, cause you can pretty much vary everything. Add more or less rosemary, garlic or balsamico-date essence, use more pasta, less mushrooms...whatever you want. It is really hard to ruin this one! 

Bon apetit.

Special thanks to Beau Lark for taking all these wonderful pictures I didn't take...

EAT MORE FISH! - Creamy Cod Chowder

A couple of days ago Wil surprised me and made a delicious Cod Chowder.

It was delicious!

It was light and hearty at the same time.

He found the recipe in a book about soups that he brought from Canada.

It's called 300 sensational soups and every recipe Wil tried out of this book so far turned out pretty damn good, and it's pretty easy and done relatively quick.

In case anyone is surprised by my perfect English, it's because I just copied the recipe from the book...

What you need

6 slices bacon, minced

2 tbsp unsalted butter

2 onions, finely chopped

1 tbsp fresh thyme

750g / 1.5lbs yellow- or white-fleshed potatoes, peeled and cut into 1cm dice

1.25l / 5cups fish stock

1.25kg / 2.5lbs  boneless skinless cod fillets

1 tsp salt

1/2 tsp freshly ground black pepper

375 ml / 1.5cups whipping cream (35%)

50ml / 1/4cup minced fresh chives

In a large pot, sauté bacon over medium heat until browned and crispy, about 5 min. Remove with a slotted spoon to a plate lined with paper towels. Set aside.

Add butter to the pot and heat until melted. Add onions and thyme; sauté until softened, about 6 minutes. Add potatoes and stock. If necessary, add enough water to barely cover. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer until potatoes are almost tender, about 15 minutes. Add cod, salt and pepper; simmer until fish is opaque and flakes easily with a fork and potatoes are tender, about 5 minutes.

Using a slotted spoon, gently transfer fish t a large plate. Using a fork, flake fish apart and set aside.

Stir cream into the pot and reheat over medium heat until steaming, stirring often. Do not let boil. Taste and udjust seasoning with salt and pepper, if necessary. Return fish to the pot.

Ladle into heated bowls and garnish with reserved bacon and chives.

Serve!

Variation: Halibut or Tilapia would also work beautifully in this soup.

 PS: Wil used bacon that we bought from a local market right next to where we live. There is a stand that carries pork products from an old breed of pigs called Wooly Pigs, named after their hairy 'fleece', that is similar to that of a sheep. 

They are pretty cute AND delicious!

Before...(picture: Geoff Robinson, Source telegraph.co.uk)

...and after (source: www.christandl.ch/stefanmathis.html)