This is a very simple pasta dish and if you have a simple tomato sauce available it takes only twenty minutes or so to prepare. We often have this on a weekday night, or as a light meal on a weekend.
The idea here is to get each of the flavours distinct so that they can talk to each other. Sometimes when cooking one is looking for a deep harmony and blend of all the different flavours, like in a stew on its fifth day. Other times the goal is to have each flavour bright and distinct so that they can riff off or even challenge each other. In this case we are going for a conversation of separate flavours. And like most conversations it is better with wine.
· Good bacon
· Garlic (sliced longitudinally, not minced or cross sliced)
· Mushrooms
· Olive oil
· Black olives (could try this with green, or even a mixture)
· Tomato sauce (as simple as possible)
· Lemon zest
· Possibly some flat leaf parsley
· White wine
· Pasta (usually we use spaghetti for this)
Cook bacon slowly until it is well rendered and crisp. Save some of the fat.
Cook mushrooms just as slowly, with the garlic, in some olive oil, until the mushrooms are crisp. It takes as long as it takes.
Add sliced olives and some white wine and reduce.
Add tomato sauce (this should be as simple a tomato sauce as possible, not herbs or other distractions).
Add some of the bacon fat. Reduce to thicken. Season and add a little black pepper.
Toss with pasta, crumble on bacon, add some lemon zest, add some flat-leaf parsley or other herb.
Serve wine. The day after Yoshie got back from her long March 2008 trip to Tokyo and Vancouver we had this with a 2006 Dezaley de L'Eveque from Patrick Fonjallaz, a grand Cru from Lavaux on the shore of Lac Leman. They say there are three suns in Lavaux - the one in the sky, the one reflected off the lake and the one shining from the white cliffs and stone walls that terrace the vineyards. I (Steven) cycled up through here in March 2008, it is a good tough climb, on my way up Mount Pelerin.
