Mum's Fettuccine Carbonara

A lot of people ask whether I “properly” cook every day and the answer is a big resounding "no"!

I wasn’t going to post today but I thought I would share the method to my everyday train of thought when it comes to cooking for my little tribe. Let's chat about this delicious fettuccine carbonara. Hubby and I visited @birch_store in Moss Vale (here in the Southern Highlands, NSW - a must-see stop for any foodie visiting the area!) this morning and picked up the most beautiful bacon from @talucaparkfreerange, a local Southern Highlands producer. Then the day just disappeared - don’t ask me where it went but suddenly it was 5pm and time to take my daughter to her friend’s. After the drop off, I realised nothing was on the go for dinner and that's when I had the brainwave to make my mum’s carbonara which is just the best!

A quick trip to @woolworths_au for mushies followed (we’re so lucky to have wonderful seasonal produce available at the major supermarkets 🙏), got home, popped the pasta on and dinner was on the table within half an hour, complete with a garnish of parsley from the patch...this is how I normally cook - on the fly and with a little bit of this and a little bit of that!

It's such a simple yet tasty recipe, I would love for you to try it. Of course if you do, please tag me on your socials so I can see your wonderful creation.

Thanks mum for the recipe, love you!

H xx ❤️

Serves: 6
Preparation time: 5 minutes
Cooking time: 30 minutes 

Ingredients:

• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 large brown onion, finely sliced
• 5 rashers quality free range/ pasture raised bacon rashers
• 500g cup mushrooms, sliced
• 200g brown mushrooms, sliced
• Salt, pepper
• 1 cup chicken stock
• 1 cup normal cream
• 500g dried fettuccine
• Grana padano, for serving
• Fresh parsley leaves, finely chopped, to garnish (if desired)

Instructions:

1. Fill a large stock pot with plenty of water. Add a tablespoon of salt and pop on the cooktop to begin boiling for the pasta. Once the water has come to a rolling boil, add the pasta and cook until it's about a minute or two off being al dente.
2. In the meantime, place the oil in a large frypan and add the onion. Saute over a medium heat for 7-8 minutes or until lightly caramelised. Add the bacon and saute for 4-5 minutes. Add the sliced mushrooms and saute for about 5 minutes or until most of the water released from the mushrooms has evaporated.
3. Season the mushroom mixture with salt and pepper and then add the stock. Bring to a boil before adding the cream. Allow to simmer for a few minutes and adjust the seasoning if needed.
4. Once the pasta is just shy of being al dente, add a cup of the pasta water to the mushrooms and then strain the pasta directly into the same frypan. Bring it all to a boil and stir with your pasta server until the sauce is lovely and thick and the pasta is cooked to your preference.
5.  To serve, scoop the pasta into pasta bowls, sprinkle over some parsley and finish with a generous grating of grana padano. Serve hot.

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