Linguine with bacon, mushroom and truffle

I saw a recipe for something similar and promptly forgot where it was, so I made this up, not sure if it's close to the original or not.  However, it turned out better than I expected and so here's the recipe, hope you enjoy it...

Ingredients
2 rashers smoked back bacon
1 onion
1 clove garlic, peeled
1/2 tablespoon olive oil
4 or 5 dried porcini mushrooms, soaked in 300ml boiling water for 30 mins
125g white button mushrooms
125g chestnut mushrooms
2 teaspoons Dijon mustard
1 teaspoon whole grain mustard
Salt and pepper to tasteA dash of double cream to taste
Enough Linguine for 2 people
1-2 teaspoons of sliced preserved truffle plus their oil (optional)
3 tablespoons chopped flat leaf parsley

Method
First, chop the bacon into roughly 5mm cubes, add this to a non stick pan and saute over a medium to low heat to release the oil and brown the bacon. 

While this is cooking, peel and finely slice the onion, then add the olive oil and onion to the pan, stir well and saute.  Peel and finely slice the garlic, add to the pan, cover and saute/steam over a low heat. 

While the onion and garlic is cooking, wash and dry the mushrooms, trim the stems and slice.  Once the mushrooms are prepared, add them to the pan with a little of the porcini mushroom soaking juice and cook uncovered over a high heat until the mushrooms have lost their moisture (about 5 mins). 

Put the linguine on to boil (I boil mine for 12 mins). Add the rest of the porcini soaking water, chop the re hydrated porcini mushrooms and add them to the pan with the mustard.  Stir well and reduce to a thick sauce.

Taste and adjust the seasoning to suite.  Add a dash of double cream (not too much, 1-2 tablespoons should be fine), recheck the seasoning.  Add the chopped parsley and stir.

To serve, place a layer of linguine in a large bowl and put the mushroom sauce on top.  Finish with a few slices of truffle if you're using it.

Mashed butter beans

Got this recipe from the Hairy Bikers and although I have changed it slightly it's a delicious low card version of mashed potato and dead east too, highly recommended!

Ingredients
A dash of olive oil
1 small red onion2 medium garlic cloves

1 400g can butter beans
5 large sage leaves chopped

A dash of double cream
Salt and pepper to taste

Method
Heat the oil in a frying pan that will hold the onions and butter beans comfortably.  Peel and chop the red onion and crush the garlic while the oil heats, then add them to the pan and fry over a medium heat until softened and starting to brown slightly.  Drain and add the butter beans, add the sage leaves and the double cream and stir well to heat through.  Mash them lightly with a potato masher, adjust the seasoning to taste and serve.

Dolce de leche

Over the summer we went to the Benington Lordship chilli festival and while I was buying chillies, Suzanne was offered a "salted caramel with chilli".  Well, it went down a storm and looking at the recipe it was effectively dolce de leche, a south American sweet caramel made by evaporating milk until it becomes thick and gooey.  I've looked on line and the only recipes I've found use either whole milk or evaporated milk.  The first time I tried it I used whole milk, and while it was good, it was a little grainy from having to reduce it too much and it lacked the buttery flavour of the chill version.  So, second time around I've made it using double cream and butter - not very healthy but at least you don't have much of it!

Here's my recipe if you dare try it!  I don't tend to eat it (except occasionally when I have a low blood glucose) but it's had Suzanne's taste test and she reckons "it's delicious", so I'm happy.  This recipe should make about half of a full size Kilner jar so you may wish to adjust the ingredients!

Ingredients
600ml double cream
250ml caster sugar (yes, that's ml, not g)
a pinch of bicarbonate of soda
a pinch of salt
2 teaspoons vanilla essence
125g butter


Method
Put all the ingredients except the butter into a large saucepan and bring to the boil.  When it's close to boiling, reduce the heat to low to medium and keep it boiling at a high simmer.  Be really careful for the first 30 mins or so as the boiling mixture will tend to go over the top of the pan very easily if you don't stir it or heat it too high.  You'll need to stir this very frequently at this stage and don't take your eyes off the pan or you'll need to clean your cooker!

Keeping the heat on low, reduce the mix until the colour is slightly lighter than milk chocolate and the mixture has thickened.  Now turn the heat off and add the butter, stirring until it has melted and is incorporated into the caramel.

Strain the mixture through a fine sieve into a sterilised Kilner jar, cover and leave to cool before refrigerating it.  It will last almost indefinitely and you can use it on ice cream, cakes and puddings as a sauce, or just help yourself out of the jar if you wish.