3-28…Chile pepper fettucine with mushrooms and arugula.

I came in from the studio thinking I would call for some pizza tonight – not in the mood to cook.  About one hour later, sitting on the porch with a glass of Pinot Grigio and 3 plump raspberries staring at me from the bottom of the glass I became inspired.  Pizza!  Hell, I could do better than that.  After taking stock of the fridge and the pantry this is what I came up with.

INGREDIENTS:

Al Dente Pasta’s chile pepper fettucine

Portobelllo mushrooms

Organic cherry tomatoes  (one of Patience’s “finds” at Tuesday Mornings)

Arugula, coarsely chopped

Olive oil

Garlic and onion

Dry basil, oregano, and  red pepper flakes

Bacon, chopped

Sweet vermouth

PROCESS:

Cook the bacon, remove, drain, and set aside.  Replace the bacon fat with olive oil and add the garlic, onion, and mushrooms, plus the herbs and seasonsing..  Cook for about 10 minutes then add the tomatoes and wine and simmer for another 20-30 minutes.  (I have no set cooking time – it all depends on when Patience gets home.)  I try to cook off all the wine before I put the pasta in.

When the pasta is ready add it to the pan and mix in the arugula, add the bacon, and drizzle with olive oil. 

COMMENTS:

The next time I use chile pepper fettucine I will not use additional red pepper flakes; by the end of meal my head was sweating.  But, it was worth every ounce of sweat.  The meal was delicious.Much better than pizza.