Recipe-Linguini Carbonara with Organic Bacon & Mushrooms

I came up with this recipe this week when I was in the mood for pasta. I had just gotten some naturally raised pork bacon in my CSA share, and also had loads of yummy fresh organic veggies on hand from my Winter Veggie CSA, so I wanted to come up with a fairly quick dinner. The results were great, though I wished I'd had  more Parmesan cheese (I've included the amount I wished I had, in the recipe below).

Linguini Carbonara - Finished

Linguini Carbonara with Bacon & Mushrooms: (Serves: 4-6; Difficulty: Intermediate)

Ingredients:
1/2 lb shitake (or other) mushrooms
1 medium onion, diced
3 cloves garlic, minced
4-5 strips natural cured bacon
2 c. whole milk (preferably non-homogenized, or at least organic; may also use half-and-half, or lower fat milk cut with cream)
2 TB flour
1/3 c. Parmesan cheese
8-oz dry linguini or other pasta (I like mixing whole wheat with some regular, for texture and variety of taste)
1 bag (approx. 12-oz to 1-lb) fresh spinach, rinsed and chopped
Salt & freshly ground pepper, to taste


Directions:
1. Bring large pot of water to boil for the pasta.
2. Fry bacon in large skillet over medium heat, flipping occasionally, until slices are crispy. Then remove and drain on paper towels. Pour off some of the bacon grease into a dish (save this in case you need a little later), and reserve about 1 TB in the skillet.
3. Meanwhile, prepare onions and garlic,  wash mushrooms and remove stems. Discard stems, and slice shitake caps into strips.
4. Add onions and mushrooms to bacon fat in skillet, reduce heat to medium-low and saute about 10 minutes, stirring frequently, 'til tender and onions are golden brown. (You may cover the skillet for part of this time, if you want them to cook a little faster.) Add a bit more bacon grease if needed.
5. Add minced garlic, fresh ground pepper, and salt, and cook and stir for about 1-2 minutes more.
6. Add pasta to boiling water in pot, stir well, lower heat to medium, and cover. Stir occasionally.
6. Sprinkle flour into the skillet over vegetables, and stir well to coat. Increase heat to medium.
7. Begin adding milk gradually, about 1/2 cup at a time, stirring constantly. Keep stirring until sauce is smooth and the consistency of thick cream. Do NOT let it boil. If sauce still seems to thick, add a bit more milk, a little at a time, until desired consistency is reached.
8. Remove skillet from heat.
9. Add spinach into pasta pot and cover.
10. Dice bacon finely, add to sauce in skillet, and stir well.
11. Stir pasta, test for doneness, and if done, drain pasta and spinach in colander.
12. Put pasta and spinach in large bowl, and pour sauce over. Sprinkle with Parmesan cheese, and mix well.
13. Serve hot, with a fresh green salad.

As always, experiment, and have fun! Some possible substitutions: different types of mushrooms, diced green or red bell peppers, Romano or other similar cheeses instead of Parmesan, also, try adding shrimp - it would probably be great in this dish - I just didn't have any on hand. If you add shrimp, add it with the garlic, and then cook and extra minute or two until it is pink, before you add the milk/cream.

Enjoy! And feel free to share your thoughts or ideas below!