Creamy Ham and Mushroom Pasta

This is one of my favourite pasta dishes from my teenage years, I'm not going to pretend for one minute that it's healthy - as it isn't, but it is definately one of my favourites and a great comfort food dish.

Ingredients are really simple; 

• Pack of good quality ham
• Pot of single cream
• 1-2 onion(s)
• 1-2 garlic clove(s)
• box of chestnut mushrooms
• fresh oregano, basil or some other herb of choice
• 500g of pasta (use whatever your favourite is)
• Salt and pepper to taste

Method:

1. Put pan of water on to boil
2. Dice/ crush your onion and garlic
3. Fry off in a wok or frying pan
4. Add fresh herbs
5. Add mushrooms
6. Cook until they look like this:

7. Add cream
8. Add pulled ham
9. Season to taste
10. Cover and leave on a low heat stiring occasionally
11. Put your pasta into your water, which should have by now come to the boil
12. Cook for 10 minutes for dry and 3-4 minutes for fresh pasta
13. Drain pasta
14. Empty into the sauce and turn over with wooden spoon to get a good coating of the sauce
15. Serve and enjoy!

Bacon, Mushroom and Potato Salad

This is a gorgeous salad which I always used to have when I worked at the Picturedrome in Northampton. Making it is not an exact science, it's more of a bit of this and a bit of that and lots of tasting in-between.

Salad Ingredients:

Potatoes

Mushrooms (preferably chestnut )

Bacon

Salad Leaves 

Vinaigrette Ingredients:

Method:


1. Cut your potatoes to the size you want them in the salad
2. Par-boil them for 10-15 minutes

3. Rinse in cold water

4. Assemble vinaigrette (taste testing till you get your combination right)

5. Fry off your bacon, garlic, mushrooms, and potatoes until they are all nicely golden

6. Assemble salad
7. Pour over vinaigrette 
8. Serve and enjoy