Tagliolini with ceps and bacon

Serves 2

Tagliolini with ceps and bacon (Jason Lowe)

There are some great quick-cook brands of pastas around. I love Cipriani, and I have also recently discovered Filotea (available at Waitrose). If I get a decent haul of ceps, I slice the firmest specimens and keep them in the freezer in a zip-lock bag. You can even keep pancetta cubes and chopped parsley in the freezer.

50g or so of good quick-cooking pasta
30-40g pancetta or bacon cubes
2tbsp olive oil
50-60g frozen sliced ceps
50g butter
1tbsp chopped parsley
Salt and freshly ground black pepper

Bring a pan of salted water to the boil. Heat a tablespoon of the olive oil in a pan and gently cook the pancetta cubes for 2-3 minutes on a low heat; turn the heat up and add the ceps and cook for a minute or so; then add the parsley, the rest of the olive oil and butter and season. While the pancetta and ceps are cooking, cook the pasta according to the manufacturer's instructions and drain, then toss together with the bacon and ceps, adding a little of the pasta cooking water to correct the consistency if necessary.