This is a tasty and easy pasta which has the down side that the ingredients are not so easy to find in every supermarket worldwide. This is why I will list the original and the possible substitutes for these ingredients. Don't worry, It's going to be very tasty ...even if you use the alternatives.
Ingredients:
350 gr (13oz or 3/4 of a pound) of Bucatini Pasta
100 gr (3.5 oz) of Pork Cheek (Jowl Bacon)
400 gr (14 oz) of mature Tomatoes
2 spoons of Pecorino Cheese
Spicy Pepper and Salt to taste Substitutes: Bucatini with Spaghetti Pork Cheek with Bacon Tomato with 1 Tomato Sauce Can Pecorino with Parmesan or Strong Cedar
Steps:
1. If you use fresh tomatoes, which I highly recommend because the taste is much better , put them to boil for a couple of minutes. Then peel them off and chop them into big chunks.
2. Cut the bacon or pork cheek into cubes. Put them to brown in a non stick pan. Cook it in low heat until is golden and crunchy. Then set it aside and add the spicy pepper, cool it until soft and then add the tomatoes! Cook for 10 minutes in medium heat. Add salt if needed.
3. Meantime, cook the pasta in abundant boiling salty water. Then drain the water. Add the bacon/pork cheek to the sauce an then add also the pasta to the mixture. Mix them all together for 1-2 minutes in low heat.
4. Transfer the dish into a plate, add the chosen cheese and serve!
Here is also the video where I show how I make it! Enjoy!
The original recipe is called Risotto ai funghi porcini!
This is a delicate dish with a beautiful smell. I like to cook it in fall as this is what it reminds me off. The fresh porcini mushrooms are not very easy to find, however, you can easily find them in their dry version and I guarantee it will be an easy good dish for you and your family. For a vegetarian version, you simply cook the rice using boiling water or vegetable stock instead of meat stock.
Risotto with Porcini Mushrooms
Ingredients (serves 4):
Risotto rice: 315gr / 1 cup and a half Fresh Mushrooms: 200gr / 0.4lbs / 6-8 pieces Dried Porcini Mushrooms: 30gr / 1 ounce Onion: 1 small piece Garlic: 1 clove Parsley: 1 brunch Butter: 2 slices / 50 gr/ less than 2 ounces White Wine: 1dl / half a cup Vegetable/Meat Stock: about 1 l / 3-4 cups Parmisan Cheese: 50gr/ 2 full spoons Salt/ Pepper/ Olive Oil
Note: You can substitute the above mentioned Mushrooms with 400 gr (equivalent to 14 ounces / 0.8 lbs) of fresh Porcini Mushrooms. Also, Step 3 can be done in parallel with Step 1 and 2. Step 1: Place the dried porcini mushrooms in a bowl of warm water for at least 10 minutes. Meantime, clean the fresh mushrooms by removing the dirt with a knife and washing very quickly (do not soak the fresh mushrooms in water). Then chop them finely.
Step 2: Place a slice of butter and the slightly pressed garlic in a frying pan, Add the fresh mushrooms and cook them using high heat. Remove the water from the dried porcini mushrooms (now they should be soft to the touch) and chop them finely. Mix them with the fresh mushrooms. Adjust salt and pepper, salt and add the parsley which you must first finely chop. If you decided to use 400 gr of fresh porcini mushrooms, you clean and cook them in the same way but, you do not need to add the dried porcini.
Step 3: Finely chop the onion and brown it in a pan using some olive oil (you can use butter or a mixture of the two).Add the rice and toast it until golden. Proceed by adding the white wine and, when it evaporates, add one ladle of boiling stock at the time. Stir until it evaporates and repeat until the risotto is cooked. Step 4: Mix the cooked mushrooms with the risotto some minutes before it has finished cooking. Mix well then turn off the heat and mix the remaining butter and the Parmesan cheese. Cover the rice for 10 minutes then serve.
You can find more details on how I prepare this risotto by watching this video:
If you try to make this recipe, I would love to know how it turns out!
Also, If you have any Italian recipe request let me know!
You can find some tips on how to clean the mushrooms here.
Ingredients:
