Spaghetti with pork and mushroom sauce

Sometimes life is just so busy and hectic, isn't it!
Is it because we make it that way, or is that just how modern life is I wonder? Some evenings, I look at the clock at dinner time and think, "Ughhh, I have no inspiration for cooking tonight." Or I have no energy or a combination of both.

This pork and spaghetti dish was what I made on a night when I had no inspiration, was running late, and would have just loved to sit on the couch with a glass of wine and a cheese platter! (that would count as dinner right?)

There was microwave defrosting of meat involved in this recipe, which I don't generally like to do but when needs must........

A quick whip up of a mushroom sauce, a bit of spaghetti, grill some pork and a salad, and there it is. Everyone satisfied, fed, job done. Then I sat on the couch with a glass of wine and put my feet up.

What you'll need

Served four people

300g pork fillet or pork steaks
250g dried spaghetti (or your favourite variety of pasta)

For the sauce
100g fresh mushrooms, chopped finely.
1 cup pouring cream
1 tablespoon fresh parsley, finely chopped
1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
2 teaspoons Dijon mustard
2 teaspoons olive oil
Salt and pepper

Green salad to serve

What to do

Cook the spaghetti according to the packet instructions. 

While the pasta is cooking, heat a frying pan over medium heat. Pour 1 teaspoon of the oil in the pan, then cook the meat until medium (still a little pink in the middle). If using a whole pork fillet, cook, covered with a lid for approximately 10 - 15 minutes. If you are using pork steak, cook for 3 - 5 minutes. Rest the pork for 5 minutes, then slice.

While the spaghetti and meat are cooking, make the sauce. In a small sauce pan, pour the remaining olive oil. Heat over medium heat. Add the mushrooms to the pan and cook for about 5 minutes until soft and brown. Turn off the heat. Add the mustard and Worcestershire sauce to the pan and mix well. Then add the cream  and parsley and mix well. Season to taste. Set aside. You will not need to reheat this sauce as you'll be adding it to hot pasta and then spooning over the meat. Don't boil it as it will separate and look awful.

Assemble the dish. Drain the pasta then place back into the cooking pot. Add about half of the sauce and mix well. Divide the pasta between four bowls and plates. Divide the sliced pork amongst the plates, arranging it on top of the spaghetti. Spoon the remainder of the sauce over the top of the meat and pasta. 

Serve immediately. We had this with a green salad and a glass of red wine. Quick, tasty and filling. Not bad for a 'non-inspired' cooking night.