Another quick, cheap, dinner that can feed a small army.
Set your pot of salted water to boil, and saute in a small amount of olive oil:
- Two slices of thick cut bacon, cut into small pieces
- One onion, chopped coarsely
- two cloves of garlic, crushed
- a pinch of salt- 1/2tsp, perhaps.
- a smaller pinch of crushed red pepper, if you like
When the vegetables are soft, add an ounce of dried Porcini mushrooms that you have softened in a bowl of warm water and chopped coarsely, some parsley, and and a can of tomatoes- I used diced, but you can choose the consistency you like.
While this has been cooking you've been cooking a package of bucati or linguini in a large pot of boiling salted water, right? When the pasta is soft, but before it reaches the al dente stage, transfer it to the sauce pan, and mix well. Add boiling water from the pasta pot a spoonful at a time, as the sauce is absorbed by the pasta, until it reaches the al dente stage. Salt and pepper to taste. Add cheese at the table.
In case you've been asking yourself what I do with all this food when I'm not entertaining, some of it gets eaten over multiple days, some goes into the freezer for those weeks when I just don't feel like cooking, and some goes down the street to my sister's house, where I use her family for taste testing.
And a new feature for these tough economic times- cost estimates!
1 lb bucati: $1.49
1 can Muir Glen Roasted tomatoes: $2.99
2 slices bacon: $0.50
1 onion: $0.20
1 oz porcinis: $0.50
Other seasonings: $0.05
Total cost: $5.73. This could feed from 4 to 8 diners, depending on appetites and side dishes, for a per-diner cost of $0.72 to $1.44. Or I'm sure you could find something similar in a decent Italian restaurant for $16.95 ;-)
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