People who have known me for the longest time know this: I am an extremely early riser. This can be a major-league cause of weekday annoyance for me, because I can be sure that - four days out of five - I won't get anything to eat before I leave the house. On weekends, however, the fact that I'm up at the crack of dawn means I can indulge myself by doing what I love best: baking and cooking.

Weekend mornings at my house are magnificently perfumed ones because of all the scents emanating from the kitchen: the sweet spiciness of cinnamon rolls, the buttery fragrance of caramel syrup, the savory headiness of frying meats from earthy beef tapa and sugary tocino to the nose-tickling sage and thyme blend I use for homemade sausage patties.

On days when I'm feeling exceptionally indulgent, however, the smells coming from the kitchen are more like a clarion call, an olfactory battle cry for all daring diners to come to the table and attack my offerings with impunity. Such, my friends, is the lure of my all-time favorite breakfast dish: bacon-fried mushrooms.

It's one of the simplest things you can cook, but it becomes utterly sublime if done correctly. The trick here, you see, is not to add any additional fat: you have to cook the bacon before the mushrooms because you HAVE to cook the latter in the fat rendered from the former.

I know this doesn't sound like the healthiest of meals, but it's a once-in-a-blue-moon indulgence for me and it's something everyone enjoys. Of course, I end up rushing to clean the kitchen once I've set the dish on the dining table: otherwise, I'll lose my share of the mushies - and that, my friends, is something I really, really hate.

Try the recipe for yourselves. I should warn you, of course, that you'd better save a portion for yourself before serving this to everyone else in your house. That, my friends, is a major course of wisdom with regard to this dish.

• 1 small pack bacon rashers (classic honeycured works best, but you can choose the maple-cured version if you want a bit more sweetness)
   
• 1 tray mixed mushrooms (the 2-in-1 from Silver Creek of Malaysia [PhP 189.00 at Shopwise] is shown here. It's a mix of regular white buttons and the meatier-tasting Swiss Browns; you may choose to use other kinds, if you wish.), sliced
   
• 1 red onion, chopped
   
• 2 cloves garlic, peeled, crushed, and minced
   
• grated Parmesan cheese
   
• salt, pepper, and Italian seasoning
   
• chopped chives or parsley (optional)
   

Without adding additional oil, fry the bacon in a heavy skillet or wok till crisp. Drain the bacon (saving the drippings) and place on a serving dish; set aside.

Saute the onion in the bacon drippings till soft. Add the garlic and cook until slightly browned before adding a couple dashes of Italian seasoning. When the herbs start to release their aromas, add the sliced mushrooms. The mushrooms will absorb the cooking fat, but do not add any additional oil to the pan. Keep stirring the mushrooms until they start to release their juices; season with salt and pepper to taste and remove from the heat.

Transfer the mushrooms to a serving plate and dust with a generous amount of grated Parmesan. If desired, top with chives or chopped parsley.

Serves 6 - just.

These are great on rice or when stuffed in split hot pan de sal, but I love these on top of hot buttered toast. If you have any leftovers (which is doubtful), use them to top homemade foccacia dough to make an impromptu pizza.