3763. CAVATELLI with BACON, CREAM and SNAP PEAS

1 lb. cavatelli or other tube pasta

3/4 lb snap peas, ends removed and cut diagonally into 1-inch pieces

1 garlic clove, minced

1 shallot, minced

2-3 strips thick-cut bacon, cubed

Handful of parsley, minced

1 cup grated parmesan cheese

3/4 cup light or heavy cream

Lots of pepper to taste

Bring a large pot of well-salted water to boil. The pasta should come out of the water just as you're completing assembly of the sauce, so begin browning the bacon about 5 minutes before you add the pasta to the water. (Reserve a little pasta water for thinning the sauce, just in case. You probably won't need it but better safe than sorry.)

Brown the bacon in a large skillet. When the bacon has started to crisp up add the shallots and cook for another 2-3 minutes. Next add the peas; stir to coat them with fat and cook for no more than another 2-3 minutes. The peas should darken and maybe even brown in a few spots but you don't want them to lose their crunch. Stir in the garlic for 30 seconds, then the cream.

At this point the pasta should be out of the pot and into a colander.

Allow the cream to reach a simmer, then throw in half the cheese, half the parsley, and all of the pasta. Stir everything together and allow to simmer for a minute or two, or until the sauce is at an ideal consistently. Serve immediately topped with the rest of the parsley and parmesan and a few healthy turns of black pepper.

bacon recipe source: Andrew Bartholomew (@AndrewBart), February 3, 2013

3161. BACON and CORN CAVATELLI

makes five servings

 

 

1 pound fresh cavatelli 

2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil 

1/4 pound bacon, diced

2 ears corn, cut from the cob

2 cloves garlic, sliced

1 pint tomatoes 

1/2 bunch parsley 

3 tablespoons butter 

Parmigiano Reggiano, grated for garnish 

 

Bring a large salted pot of water to a boil. In a large saute pan, add the olive oil, bacon, and fry until crisp, about 3 minutes. Add the corn, sweet 100 tomatoes and garlic, and cook an additional 4 minutes. Drop cavatelli into the boiling water and cook to one minute less than the specific cook time. Add the cavatelli to pan and toss with the parsley, butter, a pinch of salt and pepper and serve. Garnish with parmigiano reggiano.

 

 

bacon recipe courtesy of: Michael Symons, The Chew, Season 1, Episode 206, ABC-TV

2438. HANDMADE CAVATELLI with SMOKED BACON, CHANTERELLES, GREEN GARLIC and GRANA PADANO

serves 4-6


4 cups durum semolina flour
2 cups all-purpose flour, plus more for rolling out
1 ½ tablespoons kosher salt
Water as needed (approximately 4 cups)
¼ pound smoked bacon, medium dice
½ cup white wine
1 pound chanterelle mushrooms, sliced thin
2 bunches green garlic, chopped
2 tablespoons fresh thyme leaves
3 tablespoons whole butter
Black pepper, to taste
Grana Padano, to taste
2 tablespoons chopped fresh Italian parsley leaves

In a stand-up mixer fitted with a dough hook attachment, add both kinds of flour and salt; slowly add water with mixer on speed 2 or 3. Mix for about 2 minutes. Dough should be crumbly, but still hold its shape. Remove from mixing bowl. Dust table with a little all-purpose flour, and knead the dough, folding it into itself repeatedly, for approximately 6 minutes. Let the dough rest for about 2 hours; by then it should be a solid mass, ready to be rolled through the cavatelli machine.

Roll the dough out with a rolling pin, to about half an inch in thickness. Then cut into strips, half an inch wide. Start rolling strips through the cavatelli machine, dusting cavatelli with all-purpose flour once finished. Let the pasta air-dry for about an hour.

Bring a pot of heavily salted water to a boil. Meanwhile, heat a large sauté pan; add smoked bacon and sauté, frequently draining of fat (leaving about 1 tablespoon to sauté mushrooms). Add one-third of the white wine to bring down temperature of bacon. Add the chanterelles and sauté until light brown. Add green garlic and thyme, and de-glaze bottom of pan with rest of wine. Reduce wine until it is nearly gone, add butter, and turn off heat.

Add the cavatelli to the pot of boiling water and boil until cavatelli floats to the top (about 8 minutes). When cavatelli is finished cooking transfer with a mesh strainer directly into sauté pan with rest of ingredients. Toss pasta, adding pasta water as needed to make sauce in the pan, season with salt to taste. Finish with generous amount of fresh black pepper and parmesan. Garnish with chopped parsley.


bacon recipe courtesy of: Cory Obenour and Matt Sullivan, The Blue Plate, 3218 Mission Street at Valencia, San Francisco, California 94110

2055. CAVATELLI, CABBAGE and BACON

serves 4-6


1 lb. package cavatelli
6 slices bacon, cut into ½" pieces
4 cups shredded cabbage
¾ cups onion, minced
¼ cup butter
½ teaspoon salt
¼ teaspoon pepper

Cook cavatelli according to package directions. Drain and keep warm. Meanwhile, in a large skillet, fry bacon over medium-high heat until almost browned; about 5 minutes. Add cabbage and onions. Cover and cook, stirring occassionally, for 10 mins or until tender. Remove cover, stir in butter, salt and pepper. Cook over high heat 3-5 mins. or until cabbage and onion are slightly browned. Toss with cavatelli. Serve immediately.


bacon recipe courtesy of: Sara "Sherry Gentile," Akron, Ohio, for TasteBook

1901. CAVATELLI GRATIN with BACON and GREEN OLIVES

serves eight


1 lb. cavatelli, cooked
8 oz. bacon, cooked and crumbled into 1⁄2-in. pieces
3/4 cup green olives, coarsely chopped
1 1/2 cups heavy cream
1 1/2 cups milk
2 cups gruyère cheese

In a large bowl, toss cavatelli with bacon, olives, cream and milk. Season to taste. Divide pasta into individual gratin dishes. Sprinkle with cheese. Bake at 350° F. for 25 min. until cheese is browned on top and liquid is completely absorbed. Let sit 5 minutes before serving.


bacon recipe courtesy of: FoodService Director, 90 Broad Street, Suite 402, New York, New York 10004

1664. CAVATELLI with EGGS and BACON

makes 6 servings


1/4 teaspoon kosher salt, plus more for the pasta pot
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
2 tablespoons butter
8 ounces slab or thick-cut bacon, cut in 1/2 -inch pieces
5 large eggs
1 batch (1 1/2 pounds) cavatelli, or 1 pound dried pasta
2 cups shredded Fontina Val d’Aosta

Fill the large pot with salted water (at least 6 quarts water with 1 tablespoon salt), and heat to a boil.

Pour the olive oil into the skillet, and set it over medium-high heat. Drop in the butter, let it melt, then scatter in the bacon pieces. Cook the bacon, stirring and tossing the pieces, for 5 minutes or so, until they’re crisp and caramelized. (If the bacon rendered lots of fat, you can pour off half the fat in the pan.)

Beat the eggs and 1/4 teaspoon salt in a bowl until well blended.

When the water is at a rolling boil, drop in the cavatelli, stir, and return the water to a boil. Cook the cavatelli 4 to 5 minutes, until al dente. Lift them from the pot, drain briefly and spill them into the skillet.

Over medium heat, toss the cavatelli with the bacon pieces, coating the pasta with the oil, butter and bacon fat, too. Pour the beaten eggs all over the pasta, stirring and tumbling them together; keep scraping the coagulating egg from the sides and bottom of the pan, and incorporate it in with the wet eggs. Cook for a minute or two, just until all the egg is lightly cooked and custardy and evenly scrambled into the cavatelli.

Turn off the heat, scatter the shredded Fontina over the eggs and pasta, and toss thoroughly to blend in the cheese as it melts.

Serve immediately.


bacon recipe courtesy of: Lidia Cooks from the Heart of Italy: A Feast of 175 Regional Recipes by Lidia Matticchio Bastianich and Tanya Bastianich Manuali. Knopf, 2009

1164. CAVATELLI with TOMATO BROTH, BACON, PEAS and RICOTTA

yields 4 servings


3 tablespoons olive oil
1 small carrot, coarsely chopped
1 small rib celery, coarsely chopped
1 small onion, coarsely chopped
3 garlic cloves, smashed and peeled
1 28-ounce can Italian plum tomatoes, chopped (or 1 pound chopped fresh tomatoes plus a 14-ounce can), with juices
2 cups chicken stock or water
About 6 large basil leaves, plus extra torn leaves for garnish
About 10 large sprigs Italian parsley
1/2 cup white wine
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
4 ounces bacon, diced
12 ounces cavatelli, conchiglie, or other curly pasta
10 ounces fresh, shelled or frozen green peas
1/3 cup grated pecorino Romano cheese
1 cup fresh ricotta, at room temperature.

Heat oil in a heavy pot over medium-high heat. Add carrot, celery and onion, and cook, stirring, 5 minutes. Lower heat to prevent browning. Add garlic and fresh tomatoes, if using. Stir and heat through. Add basil, parsley, wine, canned tomatoes and 2 cups water. Simmer until liquid reduces to a thick broth, about 30 minutes. Strain through a sieve, discard sieve contents, and season broth with plenty of salt and pepper. Cook bacon in skillet over very low heat until crisped and fat is rendered. Drain off extra fat. Meanwhile, bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add pasta and stir. Boil until just tender. Over low heat, add tomato broth to bacon in skillet. Add peas and heat through while pasta cooks. Drain pasta and return to pot. Add tomato broth and pecorino Romano cheese and toss well over low heat. Transfer to serving bowls. Dollop ricotta on top, sprinkle with basil, and serve immediately.


courtesy of: The New York Times, May 28, 2008

695. RICOTTA CAVATELLI with BACON and ZUCCHINI

serves 8


1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
1/2 pound speck or lean slab bacon, sliced 1/4 inch thick and cut into 1-inch strips
2 medium zucchini, cut into 1 1/2-by- 1/4-inch matchsticks
Salt and freshly ground pepper
2 pounds fresh or frozen ricotta cavatelli or gnocchi
1 large tomato, cut into 1/2-inch dice
1/2 cup shredded basil
1/3 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese, plus more for serving


Heat the olive oil in a large, deep skillet. Add the speck and cook over moderate heat until crisp, about 8 minutes. Transfer to paper towels to drain. Pour off all but 1 tablespoon of the speck fat. Add the zucchini; season with salt and pepper. Cook over moderately high heat, stirring, until barely softened, about 2 minutes. Return the speck to the skillet and remove from the heat. In a large pot of boiling salted water, cook the cavatelli until al dente. Drain, reserving 1/4 cup of the pasta cooking water. Add the cavatelli, reserved cooking water and tomato to the skillet. Season with salt and pepper. Toss gently over moderate heat until heated through. Transfer the pasta to a large shallow bowl and toss with the basil and 1/3 cup of the Parmesan. Serve at once, passing additional Parmesan at the table.


courtesy of: Sergio Sigala, Casa Tua, 1700 James Avenue, Miami Beach, Florida / "Easy Italian Easter," Food & Wine, April 2003

464. CAVATELLI with BACON and ARUGULA

Serves 4


1/4 pound sliced bacon, cut crosswise into 1/2-inch strips
1 onion, chopped
1 3/4 cups crushed canned tomatoes (one 15-ounce can)
3/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon fresh-ground black pepper
1 pound frozen cavatelli
1 1/4 cups arugula, stems removed, leaves torn in half (one 2-ounce bunch)
1/3 cup grated Parmesan cheese

In a large stainless-steel frying pan, cook the bacon over moderate heat until almost crisp. Remove with a slotted spoon. Pour off all but 1 tablespoon of the fat from the pan.

Reduce the heat to moderately low. Add the onion and cook, stirring occasionally, until soft, about 5 minutes. Add the tomatoes with their juice, the salt, and the pepper and bring to a simmer. Cover and cook for 10 minutes.

In a large pot of boiling, salted water, cook the cavatelli until just done, about 10 minutes. Drain and toss with the sauce, bacon, arugula, and 1/4 cup of the Parmesan. Stir until the arugula just wilts. Sprinkle the remaining Parmesan over the top.


courtesy of: "Quick from Scratch - One Dish Meals" / Food & Wine