Recipe: Bacon, Basil, and Tomato Pasta
Loosely based on this Epicurious recipe, though I was probably more in the mood for this after reading gorillagirl77's recipe for a similar dish.
Bacon, Basil, and Tomato Pasta
8-10 half-slices bacon
1/2 large bag egg noodles
1 onion, minced
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 jalapeno, minced
1 dried chili pepper, minced (or 1 tsp. red pepper flakes--and really, only one)
1 1/2 c. (dry) white wine
1 - 2 c. green beans, trimmed and cut into 1" pieces
1 container (1 1/2 c.) cherry tomatoes, chopped in half
3 tomatoes, chopped into bite-sized pieces
1/4 pkg. cream cheese
3/4 - 1 c. feta cheese
1 small bunch basil, chopped into strips (about 1/4 c. chopped)
fresh ground black pepper to taste
kosher salt to taste, though you probably won't need any, what with the bacon
Cook bacon in very large heavy skillet. Try to avoid getting burnt crud on the inside of the pan. When done, set the bacon on paper towels to drain and pour out all the bacon grease except for 3-4 Tbsp.
Add onions to skillet and cook until starting to brown a little. Add garlic, jalapeno, and red pepper. Sautee until aromatic.
Pour in wine. Boil until reduced about 1/3, roughly 3 minutes. Stir constantly, scraping up any burnt bits or stuff sticking to the pan. That's the good stuff.
Meanwhile, get water boiling for pasta. When water is boiling, add green beans and egg noodles. Cook 6 minutes. Drain. Add to pan with onions.
Add remaining ingredients except basil and stir to heat through until the cheese melts and everything's warm. Then add the basil, stir quickly, add black pepper if you like, and serve.
Notes: This is really rich, quite spicy (adjust if you're not that fond of spice!), and delicious. Phil said it was so good he didn't deserve it. Swapping in summer squash instead of or in addition to the green beans would also work well--just adjust the cooking time. Floured, pan-fried eggplant would probably also work as a substitute for the bacon for a vegetarian version. Goat cheese or Parmesan cheese could be mixed in with or substituted for varying proportions of the feta/cream cheese mix.
Variation
Made when I didn't have much basil, substituted sorrel, stinging nettles (boiled with pasta), and other misc. greens. Added asparagus that had been marinated with lemon, mirin, and ginger.
From the CSA: tomatoes, basil, green beans, onion, jalapeno, and garlic. My kitchen windowsill has two glasses filled with basil cuttings that have sprouted.
Bacon, Basil, and Tomato Pasta
8-10 half-slices bacon
1/2 large bag egg noodles
1 onion, minced
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 jalapeno, minced
1 dried chili pepper, minced (or 1 tsp. red pepper flakes--and really, only one)
1 1/2 c. (dry) white wine
1 - 2 c. green beans, trimmed and cut into 1" pieces
1 container (1 1/2 c.) cherry tomatoes, chopped in half
3 tomatoes, chopped into bite-sized pieces
1/4 pkg. cream cheese
3/4 - 1 c. feta cheese
1 small bunch basil, chopped into strips (about 1/4 c. chopped)
fresh ground black pepper to taste
kosher salt to taste, though you probably won't need any, what with the bacon
Cook bacon in very large heavy skillet. Try to avoid getting burnt crud on the inside of the pan. When done, set the bacon on paper towels to drain and pour out all the bacon grease except for 3-4 Tbsp.
Add onions to skillet and cook until starting to brown a little. Add garlic, jalapeno, and red pepper. Sautee until aromatic.
Pour in wine. Boil until reduced about 1/3, roughly 3 minutes. Stir constantly, scraping up any burnt bits or stuff sticking to the pan. That's the good stuff.
Meanwhile, get water boiling for pasta. When water is boiling, add green beans and egg noodles. Cook 6 minutes. Drain. Add to pan with onions.
Add remaining ingredients except basil and stir to heat through until the cheese melts and everything's warm. Then add the basil, stir quickly, add black pepper if you like, and serve.
Notes: This is really rich, quite spicy (adjust if you're not that fond of spice!), and delicious. Phil said it was so good he didn't deserve it. Swapping in summer squash instead of or in addition to the green beans would also work well--just adjust the cooking time. Floured, pan-fried eggplant would probably also work as a substitute for the bacon for a vegetarian version. Goat cheese or Parmesan cheese could be mixed in with or substituted for varying proportions of the feta/cream cheese mix.
Variation
Made when I didn't have much basil, substituted sorrel, stinging nettles (boiled with pasta), and other misc. greens. Added asparagus that had been marinated with lemon, mirin, and ginger.
From the CSA: tomatoes, basil, green beans, onion, jalapeno, and garlic. My kitchen windowsill has two glasses filled with basil cuttings that have sprouted.