Fusilli con Funghi, Pancetta e Spinaci

I used to work as a waitress a few years back, and believe it or not, I loved the job. I learnt quite a few tricks of trade from the kitchen staff and also gained a bit of knowledge on foods that compliment each other etc. 

The one thing that I was not amused with at first was that at the end of the shift all the staff were offered a free pizza for dinner. Sadly, me being a coeliac, this did not apply for me. After a long shift, I would have given anything to just be able to have at least just one slice of pizza - so tempting!! 

As an alternative, I was lucky enough to have been offered other options by the company I worked for. A couple of times I was given the choice of a rice dish from the menu, 2 of which I simply loved and found to be so tasty. I started making these recipes at home with a bit of tweaks here and there, and then tried pasta as a substitute to rice, the result... yum!

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Ingredients: 

- 1 tbsp olive oil 
- 100 g Fusilli pasta 
- 1 small onion, finely chopped 
- 1 rasher bacon, finely chopped 
- 50 g mushrooms, chopped 
- 2 cubes of frozen leaf spinach, thawed and squeezed
- 1 cup single cream 
- salt & pepper 
- half a chicken cube (or veg cube)
- grated Parmesan cheese

Method: 

Chop the onions and bacon and add to the pan with olive oil. Allow to cook until onions are soft then add the mushrooms and spinach. Dissolve half a chicken cube in half a cup of water. Add the cream and stock to the pan and allow to cook on a low simmer for 5 - 10 minutes. 

Fill a medium sized pot with water and bring to the boil. Add a drizzle of olive oil (this prevents the paste from sticking). Once boiling, add the pasta and cook as indicated on the packaging or until pasta is al dente (firm to the bite). Toss the pasta into the cream mixture and leave for a further 2 minutes. Do not leave for too long or the pasta will over cook. Season according to taste. 

Serve hot, sprinkled with grated Parmesan cheese. 

Recommendation: This dish can also be served using rice instead of pasta. Par-boil the rice then add to the cream mixture and leave to carry on cooking until the sauce has been reduced. Serve with Parmesan cheese and and a sprinkle of fresh parsley. You may also add some diced chicken breast to the dish for extra flavour!