(Spaghetti with mushrooms, tuna and bacon - Traditional recipe)

45 g (1 1/2 oz) bacon, cubed
60 g (2 oz) tuna in oil
150 g (5 1/2 oz) fresh Italian "porcini" (mushrooms)
1 clove of garlic
8 tablespoons meat sauce
400g (14 oz) spaghetti
4 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
50 g (1 1/2 oz) grated sharp Roman pecorino cheese
Salt
Pepper, if liked

Time:
preparation: 20 minutes
plus time for the meat sauce
cooking: 20 minutes
Difficulty:
medium difficutly
Nutrition Facts (amount per serving):
Calories: XX (kCal) - XX (kJ)
Protein: XX (g)
Total fat: XX (g)
Total carbohydrate: XX (g)
Sugars: XX (g)

It's a tasty first dish, very rich in ingredients; so you can serve it as one-plate meal.
Brush off any earth from the mushrooms using a little knife or a soft toothbrush. You should not wash them. Slice them.
Heat the oil in a pan; cook the bacon and garlic. When the garlic begins browning, remove it and add the mushrooms. Season to taste with salt and pepper, simmer and keep on cooking for 3 or 4 minutes over a low heat. At this point add tuna, well drained and crumbled. Cook for 10 minutes or until the sauce is reduced.
Meanwhile cook spaghetti al dente in a large kettle of boiling salted water according to the package directions.
Drain well and dress with the mushrooms sauce and with the meat sauce, reheated. Serve with grated sharp Roman Pecorino cheese.

Note

- the first time we made this recipe, we used frozen Italian porcini (mushrooms) because the season was out but the recipe is good in the same way;
- we don't fry bacon lightly; we add bacon and mushrooms to the oil and begin cooking all together on a low heat;
- we cook pasta al dente so we can finish cooking it in the pan with the sauce;
- we don't add the meat sauce because the dish is very rich in ingredients; so we increase the doses of mushrooms and tuna;
- you can use grated Parmesan cheese instead of Roman Pecorino one.

What's the right wine?

Our suggestion is: Terre di Franciacorta Rosso (Lombardy - Italy).

A little history

The teamster "Checco" (diminutive of Francesco name in Roman) seems to be the inventor of this recipe according to the legend. But he used "tonno di prima corsa" (first running tuna), that is young. Nowadays it's impossible because we use tuna in oil in kitchen.

If you want to combine this dish with other ones for a complete menu,
consult our "Members-only Area".