Rustic Tagliatelle

INGREDIENTS:

• 200g fresh tagliatelle pasta
• A good handful of chestnut mushrooms, sliced
• 2 to 3 strips of smoked bacon / pancetta, cut into lardons
• 1 clove of garlic, minced
• 100ml double cream
• 2 tablespoons of olive oil
• 2 to 3 tablespoons of freshly grated Parmesan cheese
• 1 tablespoon of truffle oil
• A good handful of fresh sage leaves, left whole
• Freshly ground black pepper and salt to taste

METHOD:

1. Add a tablespoon of olive oil to a frying pan and cook the sage leaves over a medium heat until coloured and crispy. Set to one side.
2. Cook the pasta in salted water according to the packet instructions. Fresh pasta should only take 2 to 3 minutes to cook after the water boils.
3. While the pasta is cooking, cook the bacon lardons over a medium heat in the olive oil until the fat is rendered and it looks nice and crispy. Add the sliced mushrooms and cook over a medium heat for 5 minutes, until cooked through and nicely coloured.
4. Add the minced garlic and cook for a further minute or two.
5. Drain the cooked pasta carefully and reserve half a cup of the water you cooked the pasta in. Do not rinse the pasta but add a tablespoon of truffle oil to it.
6. Take the pan with the bacon and mushrooms off the heat. Add the hot pasta, double cream and grated parmesan and gently toss to coat.
7. The pasta will absorb the creamy sauce very quickly. Add the reserved pasta water to loosen the sauce to a silky smooth consistency if required. Add freshly ground black pepper and salt to taste.
8. Serve in Denby plates, top with the fried sage leaves and fresh parmesan shavings. Enjoy.