Bacon Mushroom and Parmesan Pasta

This recipe is pretty flexible on the quantity and type of some of the ingredients. The first time I made this for my brother was in the fall when the wild mushrooms are plentiful in the Northwest; I used some Matsutaki and "Green and Orange" (we're not sure what their real name is, that's just what Grandma called them) he'

Grandma Irene

d foraged, but if you don't have access to wild mushrooms Cremini would be fine too. Since he prefers Fideo, or "cut" spaghetti and we didn't have any, I just broke up Angel Hair pasta (I'm impatient--who has 7 minutes, when you can cook it in 4 minutes?). However, this recipe would be good with most any type of pasta.

5 - 6 slices Bacon

2 - 3 cloves garlic, minced (or use jarred)

1-1/2 to 2 cup sliced and/or chopped mushrooms

Pasta of your choice

Salt and pepper

about 3/4 cup Heavy cream

about 1 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese

Start large pot of water to boil for pasta. In a large skillet fry the bacon until desired crispness (strips to be crumbled after frying, or chop it first--up to you).

Meanwhile, add salt to boiling water and start cooking your preferred pasta--this recipe comes together rather quickly, so try to time it so the pasta is cooked correctly by the time the remainder of the recipe is done.

Remove bacon to drain on paper towels and pour off some of the bacon grease if you feel there is too much. Add mushrooms to skillet, seasoning to taste with salt and pepper. Cook until browned and excess moisture has cooked off. Add garlic during last few minutes, so it won't burn.

Push mushroom and garlic mixture to the edges of the skillet and pour heavy cream into center. Stir cream as it warms and add the grated cheese to incorporate into a sauce, add the crumbled bacon, stirring together with the mushrooms and sauce. Drain and add pasta, reserving a little of the cooking water which you can add to the mixture to thin the sauce somewhat--the starch in the water also helps the sauce cling to the pasta.

Season to taste with additional salt, pepper and grated Parmesan. Makes 2 or 3 servings.

Savory Chicken-Mushrom Crepes

Savory Chicken-Mushroom Crepes
(aka "Frenchiladas")

Normally I use the breast meat from rotisserie chicken to make chicken salad for sandwiches, but one day I decided to go all wild and crazy and came up with this idea instead. (Of course, if you don't want to make crepes, my brother says the filling is great in tacos.)

Filling:

Cousin Terri and Aunt Peggy
In San Francisco

1 large shallot, peeled, sliced and chopped

10 cremini mushrooms, cleaned and sliced

1/4 tsp salt

1/4 tsp ground pepper

2 cloves garlic, minced (or use jarred)

5 Tbs butter (divided)

2 Tbs flour

3/4 to 1 cup chicken broth (or a combination of broth and white wine)

breast meat from one rotisserie chicken, chopped (about 2 to 2-1/2 cups)

1/4 cup oil-packed sun dried tomatoes (blotted to remove excess oil)

1 tsp seasoning blend*

optional: 
Sour Cream and/or Avocado to serve

Melt 3 Tbs butter in 12-inch skillet over medium heat; add shallots and mushrooms and sauté until tender; add garlic during last minute or so of cooking, then move vegetables to edges of pan and add 2 Tbs of butter to melt. Stir flour into melted butter, combining with vegetables. Cook several minutes, then add broth (and wine, if desired) and stir until sauce thickens. Add chicken, sun-dried tomatoes and seasoning and stir to combine. Simmer until chicken is heated. Note: filling can be made ahead of time and reheated to fill crepes.

Place about 1/4 to 1/3 cup of filling on the lower half of each crepe. Fold the bottom part of the crepe over the filling, then fold in sides and roll up to enclose the filling.

*Note: The seasoning blend I use contains salt, onion powder, paprika, garlic granules, cayenne pepper, ground black pepper, sage, thyme, oregano and cumin.

Basic Crepes:

3 eggs

1-1/2 cups whole milk, divided

1 cup all-purpose flour
1/4 teaspoon salt

3 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted, plus whole butter for cooking crepes

Whisk the eggs and 1/2 cup milk together in a large bowl; add flour and salt and whisk until you have a smooth batter. Add the remaining cup of milk and gently whisk to combine. Cover the bowl and refrigerator the batter for at least 30 minutes or up to several hours. When you are ready to cook the crepes, melt 3 Tbs of butter and whisk into the batter. Batter should be the consistency of heavy cream--if it is too thick add a small amount of milk.

Heat a 9-inch non-stick skillet or crepe pan over medium heat. Melt a teaspoon of butter in the pan or spray with vegetable spray. The pan should be hot enough that a drop of water dances across the surface.

Using a ladle or a measuring cup, pour about 1/4 to 1/3 cup of the batter into the pan, swirling the pan while pouring so the batter covers the pan thinly and evenly for each crepe and trying no to leave any holes. Pour off any excess batter.

Cook the crepe over medium-high heat until the edges turn brown, about 15 to 20 seconds. Gently flip the crepe using a small spatula and your fingers. Cook on the second side for another 10 to 15 seconds--the second side will not be as evenly browned as the first side. Remove the pan from the heat and invert it over a warm plate to stack the crepes. Keep warm in a low oven while cooking the remaining batter.

If not using all crepes immediately, place waxed paper between each crepe, wrap in plastic wrap or place in a resealable plastic bag and refrigerate for up to two days. Crepes can be reheated (uncovered) in a 250° F for 15 minutes or until warm.