8 slices thick-cut bacon, chopped (yielding about ½ cup of bacon grease)
1 tablespoon grape seed oil
2 to 3 leeks, trimmed, cleaned, patted dry and thinly sliced
8 oz shiitake mushrooms, sliced
2 garlic cloves, minced
½ cup light sodium soy sauce
¼ cup Worcestershire sauce
Salt and freshly ground black pepper, to season
Freshly grated pecorino-romano cheese, to sprinkle (optional)
Freshly chopped cilantro leaves, to sprinkle (optional)
DIRECTIONS
Boil a big pot of water to cook the noodles in. Meanwhile, in a hot heavy bottom skillet, over medium high heat, add chopped bacon and drizzle the oil over to give it some encouragement (I'm definitely channeling the great chef Anne Burrell here :) Cook until fat is rendered and bacon is brown and crispy. Remove bacon using a slotted spoon, drain on a plate lined with paper towel. Reduce the heat to low, add leeks and mushrooms to the bacon grease and cook until they're nice and soft, approximately 6-8 minutes. And then add garlic.
Check to see if your water is boiling. Add salt to the boiling water and then noodles. Cook noodles according to the package instruction until al dente, about 5-6 minutes. Rinse noodles with cold tap water. Set aside.
Add soy sauce and Worcestershire sauce to the leek mixture. Taste the sauce and season with salt and pepper. Add the noodles, then add bacon back to the skillet. Remove from the heat and sprinkle with pecorino-romano, or cilantro, or both :) Serve immediately.
Recipe by Flavor and Friends at http://flavorandfriends.com/shiitake-and-leek-noodles/