3975. BACON, CHILI and PECORINO SPAGHETTI (PASTA ALLA GRICIA)

Servings 4

375 g (¾ lb) spaghetti

115 g (¼ lb) bacon, chopped

30 ml (2 tbsp) olive oil

1 clove garlic, chopped

5 ml (1 tsp) crushed chili pepper flakes

125 ml (½ cup) white wine

375 ml (1 ½ cups) grated Pecorino cheese (or Parmigiano Reggiano cheese)

Salt and pepper

In a large pot of salted boiling water, cook the spaghetti al dente. Keep 250 ml (1 cup) of the cooking water. Drain and lightly oil the pasta.

In a large non-stick skillet over high heat, brown the bacon in the oil. Season with pepper. Add the garlic and pepper flakes and cook for 2 minutes. Deglaze with the wine. Reduce the liquid for 1 minute.

Add the spaghetti, cheese and half the cooking water. Stir and cook over low heat for 1 minute or until the sauce thickens and sticks to the pasta. Adjust the seasoning. Add cooking water, if needed. Serve immediately.

bacon recipe source: Ricardo Cuisine (@RicardoRecipes)

3796. BRUSSELS SPROUT PIZZA with ROBIOLA, BACON and RED ONION

Serves: 4-6

7 Brussels sprouts, halved, cored and shredded

1/3 pound thick-cut bacon, cut into 1-inch dice

1 pound pizza-dough ball, at room temperature

Salt

¼ large red onion, thinly sliced

3 ounces robiola cheese, roughly crumbled

2 tablespoons olive oil

4 tablespoons grated pecorino cheese

Preheat oven to 550 degrees.

Fill a large bowl with ice water. Add Brussels sprouts to bowl and soak 10 minutes. Meanwhile, in a medium-size pan over medium heat, sauté bacon until browned on all sides, about 5 minutes. Transfer bacon to a paper-towel-lined plate and set aside. Drain and dry Brussels sprout leaves.

Generously dust a large cutting board with flour. Place dough on board and use your hands to stretch it, rotating dough as you work, until you have a round, 24-inch crust with a translucent center.

Spread Brussels sprouts over dough, leaving a ½-inch rim bare. Sprinkle with salt and scatter onions, bacon and robiola overtop. Drizzle with 1 tablespoon olive oil. Carefully slide pizza from board onto an inverted baking tray or preheated pizza stone in the oven. Bake until dough puffs and browns, about 13 minutes. Remove pizza from oven and top with pecorino and remaining oil.

bacon recipe source: Cathy Whims, Oven and Shaker, 1134 NW Everett Street, Portland, OR 97209; The Wall Street Journal, November 14, 2013

3598. BUCATINI with BACON, CHERRY TOMATOES and SPRING ONION SAUCE

serves four


salt
1 pound bucatini
Extra virgin olive oil, for drizzling, plus 1 tablespoon
8 slices smoky bacon, chopped
3-4 spring Vidalia onions with a few inches of green tops intact, very thinly sliced or 2 leeks, halved lengthwise, thinly sliced, then washed and dried
4 cloves garlic, grated or finely chopped
1 red chili pepper, seeded and finely chopped or 1 jalapeño or red Fresno pepper, seeded and finely chopped
2 pints ripe cherry tomatoes
1/2 cup dry white wine
black pepper
1/4 cup flat leaf parsley (a couple of handfuls), chopped
a handful of basil leaves, torn or shredded

a generous handful of grated Pecorino cheese, plus some to pass at table

Heat a large pot of water to a boil for bucatini, season water with salt then cook pasta to al dente.

In a deep skillet or Dutch oven with tight-fitting lid, heat a drizzle of olive oil over medium-high heat. Add the bacon and cook until crisp; remove the bacon with a slotted spoon and reserve on a paper towel-lined plate. Drain off some fat if the pan has more than a couple of tablespoons of drippings. Add the sliced spring Vidalia onions or leeks, garlic and hot pepper and sauté for 2-3 minutes, then add the tomatoes and stir to combine; cover the pan. Shake the pan occasionally and cook until the tomatoes begin to burst, 6-8 minutes. Uncover the pot and mash up the tomatoes with a wooden spoon, add the wine and stir for 1-2 minutes. Season the sauce with some salt and black pepper, to taste, then reduce the heat to low.

When the pasta is ready, add a ladle of the starchy cooking water to the sauce along with the parsley, bacon and bucatini and toss for 1-2 minutes with an extra tablespoon of olive oil. Turn off the heat and toss in the basil and cheese; serve immediately.

bacon recipe source: Rachael Ray.com, August 8, 2012

3568. BACON and PECORINO POPCORN

yields six servings


12 ounces thick cut bacon, chopped
½ cup white popcorn kernels
3 ounces pecorino cheese, crumbled (could be aged asiago)

Place a large deep pot over medium heat. Add the chopped bacon and fry until crispy. Remove the bacon with a slotted spoon and place in a paper towel lined bowl to drain. Add the popcorn to the pot with remaining bacon grease and cover leaving the lid slightly off-set to vent. Pop the corn then pour into a large bowl. Toss in the bacon and crumbled cheese. Serve warm!


bacon recipe source: Sommer Collier, A Spicy Perspective (@SpicyPerspectiv), June 2012