Bacon and Tomato Penne

My very dear friend Linda recently gifted to me three big bags of bacon. This wasn't just normal sliced bacon, but big, wonderful chunks of bacon in all different shapes and sizes, some of them truly huge. Wanting to do something special with such a wonderful gift, I fried one bag up with some garden-fresh tomatoes that were in my kitchen, just waiting to be put to a noble purpose. When the two combined in this ridiculously simple recipe, the results were remarkable, and are now on the list of family favorites.

Ingredients:

4 medium sized, dark red Roma Tomatoes

1 lb thick, smoky Bacon

2 lbs Penne Pasta (or other similar shape)

1 Onion, minced

2 cloves Garlic, minced and mashed

Salt and Pepper

Procedure:

1. Cut the Tomatoes open and scoop out all of the seeds, then chop them into small pieces, about ¼” wide.
2. Cut the Bacon into pieces two to three inches in length. Fry them all together at once in a large frying pan.
3. Just as the bacon turns crispy, remove the pan from the heat and allow it to cool for a few minutes.  Drain all but about ¼ cup of the bacon grease from the pan.
4. Remove the bacon to a cutting board and chop it up coarsely into smallish pieces.  Don’t chop it too fine.
5. Meanwhile, boil a pot of salted water.  Cook the Pasta until it is al dente, and then drain.
6. Put the frying pan back on the heat and add in the Onion and Garlic.  Cook slowly just until the onion is translucent, and then add back in the bacon. Season to taste.
7. When the bacon is hot, add in the tomatoes and cook just until they are hot and starting to soften.
8. Pour the bacon mixture over the drained pasta and serve with a little grated pecorino.

Notes: Adding in a tiny amount of cayenne pepper with the tomatoes in step 7 can add a nice little zing to the dish.  Tabasco or Tapatío also work.

Red Sauce

People have been . . . gently suggesting to me in ever-louder voices that I post my recipe for red sauce. Red sauce isn't a hard thing to make, and there are as many variations as there are people that make it. I don't even make it the same way twice, but there are some pretty general guidelines to follow.

The best thing about red sauce is that it is something you can make for a great meal when you have very little time for preparation. Once you learn how to make a great red sauce, you will have a tool that opens many horizons of cooking to you. As a bonus, you’ll stop thinking of it as “spaghetti” sauce, and be able to modify the seasonings in subtle ways that will allow you to use the sauce in dozens of ways and places.

Plus, if you do things right and the Culinary Gods smile on you, you’ll one day run in terror from bottles of Ragu and Prego.

Ingredients:
1 medium Onion, finely minced
2 (or more) Cloves Garlic, finely minced
1 T. Basil, dried
1 T. Oregano, dried
1 T. Rosemary, dried
2 T. Olive Oil
1 106-oz. can Crushed Tomatoes
½ cup Red Cooking Wine

Directions:
1. In a deep, heavy-bottomed stock pot, sauté the Onion, the Garlic, the Basil, the Oregano, and the Rosemary in Olive Oil over medium-high heat.
2. When the onions are translucent, but not yet brown, add in the Crushed Tomatoes, and heat through.
3. When the sauce is hot, add in the Cooking Wine, and simmer for a few more minutes.
4. Reduce the heat to low and simmer for 30 minutes or longer.
5. While the red sauce is simmering, boil a pot of salted water. When it begins to boil, add the pasta and cook until al dente.
6. Drain the pasta and shake out all of the extra water (do NOT rinse it).
7. Serve immediately while the pasta is still hot. Top with a good quality, freshly grated parmesan or asiago cheese.


For variations, if you want a good red sauce done in the Greek style, add in a teaspoon of good quality ground cinnamon. For a spicier experience, add in a ½ teaspoon (or more) of cayenne/peperoncini. This spicy alternative has a wonderful flavor, and is called an arrabbiata sauce.
Also, you can use fresh herbs in place of the dried ones. If you do that, you may want to double the quantity, as fresh herbs tend to be less powerful than dried.