Scroungy Pasta Surprise

So I was rooting around in the fridge in search of a proper lunch, but I'll be damned if there was much of anything.  What we did have turned out to be the makings of a fine sauce...


Preparation time:  about ten minutes
Serves:  two human beings or one hungry bachelor
Pairing:  white wine or light beer

What you require:
{imagination, foremost}
half of an onion
three baby bella mushrooms {or tinned equivalent}
two cloves garlic
an old roma tomato
a handful of spaghetti {mottling with yellow age in the cupboard, no doubt}
a semi-used container of alfredo sauce {the variety of which is unimportant}
a spice cabinet and olive oil

Directions:  start boiling a mid-sized pot half-filled with water {with a glob of oil and dash of salt in the mix} and begin chopping your veg.  I try to get four or five fair-sized slices out of each baby bella; chop the onion and tomato as you prefer.  Mash one clove of the garlic with your kitchen knife.  Heat a small skillet with some oil {I start on HIGH} and drop in your onion and mashed garlic as the pot meanwhile nears boiling temperature.  I like to add fennel seed at this point, if you've got it.  There should be one or two minutes of HIGH-frying before you need to add your pasta to the pot, at which point turn the skillet down to a MED setting.  Add mushrooms {to the pan} and let fry on one side, then the other; cook until they are tender and slightly browned, and add your tomato and a dash of Italian herb {every kitchen has it}.  Check your pasta to make sure it is not clumped together at the bottom of the pot.  If it tends to clump {i.e. fuse together in an inedible collection} you may need to either add more oil or stir on occasion in future.  When the noodles are limp, but not quite done {gritty to taste} add your sauce to the skillet and any necessary pepper or seasonings you may further require, and turn down to MED-LOW.  Once your pasta is done-and-drained, crush and add your remaining garlic clove with a little oil, salt, herb, and black pepper, {all to taste as before} and mix well.  Serve up on plates or perhaps bowls {depending on how much sauce you've made}, adding said sauce last.  It being an alfredo, no parmesan should be necessary.  And revel in your culinary salvage!