Morish Mushroom & Bacon Pasta With Homemade Pesto

Ingredients

For the Pesto

• 112g/4oz Basil
• 300ml Olive oil
• 90g/3oz Toasted pine nuts
• 4 Peeled garlic cloves
• 100g/3 1/2oz Grated Parmesan

For the pasta

• 400g/14oz Of any pasta you like, I use Dietary Specials Fusilli or Penne pasta, but you could use Spaghetti if it takes your fancy, it makes no real difference to the recipe so don't fret.
• 8 Rashers of bacon, you could also use a chuck of chorizo if your not keen on bacon. If your vegetarian you could replace the bacon with another veg such as red peppers.
• 250g/2oz Mushrooms, button mushrooms are best, although you could use chestnut or normal mushrooms.
• 200ml Of creme fraiche, if your on a pre-chrimbo crash diet, you can use a half fat version
• 3-4 Tbsp's pesto.

Method

• Start off by making your pesto. Whizz all the pesto ingredients, bar the Parmesan together in a blender until you've got a nice chunky paste. Stir through in a bowl with your grated Parmesan until well mixed and spoon into sterilised jars or leave in the bowl, covering with clingfilm until you need it later.
• Boil your pasta up in accordance with the instructions on the pack.
• While your pasta is bubbling away, slice your mushrooms up and cube your bacon up with kitchen scissors.
• When your pasta is cooked, drain and set it aside in the pan. Keep around half a cup of the water the pasta has been boiling in and set aside with the pasta. 
• Turn your hob up high and fry your bacon and mushrooms up in a large pan for 5mins or until golden and the bacon is cooked through. You won't need to use oil, enough fat will come out of the oil for the bacon and mushrooms to cook in.
• Throw your cooked pasta and the water in the pan with the 'shrooms and bacon and stir over the heat for around a minute or so. 
• Finally take the pan off the heat, stir through the creme fraiche and 3-4 tbsp's of your pesto and give it all a big stir with a  a wooden spoon or spatula. 
• If you want to be a big old fancy pants, garnish with a sprig of basil.
• Serve in big pasta bowls, marveling at the swiftness and ease with which you cooked up a yummy dinner for you and yours!