2972. CHEESY ROTINI with BACON and PEAS

a box of quick-cooking rotini pasta
1 cup of your favorite shredded cheeses
1/4 cup of butter
4 tablespoons of flour
2 cups of skim milk
1 can of peas
8 strips of bacon
1 teaspoon of olive oil (optional)
salt and pepper to taste

To make the cheese sauce, dice your butter and melt it in a saucepan, then stir in the flour and milk, whisking to ensure your sauce doesn't get lumpy. Add your cheese a little at a time, then let the sauce simmer for about twenty minutes.

While your roux is heating through, turn your broiler on low and line a cookie sheet with foil, then arrange the strips of bacon on the cookie sheet so no strip is overlapping. Slide the bacon under the broiler to cook while you work on your pasta.

Your quick-cooking rotini will take about three minutes to heat through in boiling water. While your pasta is cooking, warm your can of peas through in a separate pot. Drain the pasta, then set it aside.

Turn your broiler on high for one minute to get some extra crunch in your bacon, then remove bacon from heat. Dice bacon, then toss bacon and peas together and add to pasta. Use 1 teaspoon of olive oil if the pasta is sticking to pot.

Drizzle your cheese roux over the tossed pasta, stir, and serve.


bacon recipe courtesy of: Jennifer King, Examiner.com, January 3, 2012

1032. GEECHEE PEANUT SAUCE with BACON FAT

yields 8 servings


1 tablespoon bacon fat
1/4 cup small-diced green pepper
1/4 cup small-diced red pepper
1/2 cup small-diced celery
1 cup small-diced onion
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon white pepper
2 tablespoons red wine
1/2 cup chicken stock
1 tablespoon brown roux, recipe follows
2 tablespoons peanut butter
1 1/2 cups tomato puree

Sweat the peppers, celery, and onion in bacon fat until the onions are translucent. Season with salt and pepper. Add red wine and reduce by 1/3. Add tomato and stock. Whisk in roux and peanut butter. Check seasoning. Let simmer for 30 minutes.


courtesy of: Hominy Grill, 207 Rutledge Avenue, Charleston, South Carolina 29403

237. HANGOVER SOUP

makes 6 servings


1/2 lb. Polish sausage, thinly sliced
2 slices bacon
1 onion, diced
1 green bell pepper, seeded and chopped
4 cups beef broth
1 can (16 oz.) can sauerkraut, rinsed and drained
1 cup fresh mushrooms, sliced
2 ribs celery, sliced
2 tomatoes, diced
2 tsp. paprika
1 tsp. caraway seeds
To make roux: 1/2 cup sour cream + 2 TB flour


In a Dutch oven; saute the sausage and bacon until sausage is brown and bacon is crisp. Remove from pan, drain and set aside. Crumble bacon.

Add to the pan drippings, onion and green pepper; saute until tender but not browned. Drain off fat and return to the pan.

Add the cooked sausage and bacon, beef broth, sauerkraut, mushrooms, celery, tomatoes, paprika and caraway seeds.

Bring to a boil, reduce heat to low, cover and simmer for 45 minutes.

Mix roux. Gradually whisk about 1 cup of the hot soup into the roux mixture. Pour roux mixture into the Dutch oven, stirring constantly.

Simmer and stir until thickened and bubbly. Serve with crusty bread.


courtesy of: Joanie Grow, Kennewick, Washington