Saturday, March 6, 2010

Orecchiette with bacon and tomato sauce

Orecchiette to almost had a dumpling texture.

1 T. extra-virgin olive oil
4 slices of bacon cut into 1/2 inch pieces ( I didn't read the recipe too closely and didn't pre-slice the bacon and just crumbled it)
1 medium red onion, halved and thinly sliced
2 garlic cloves, minced
1/2 tsp. red-pepper flakes
1 can (28 ounces) whole peeled tomatoes
coarse salt and ground pepper
1 lb. orecchiette or other short pasta
grated Parmesan and chopped fresh parsley, for serving

In a medium saucepan, heat oil over medium-high. Add bacon and cook until browned and almost crisp, about 4 minutes. Add onion and cook until softened, 3 to 5 minutes. Add garlic and red-pepper flakes and stir until fragrant 1 minute. Add tomatoes, breaking them up as you go, and season with salt and pepper. Bring sauce to a boil reduce to a simmer and cook until slightly reduced, 15 minutes.

Meanwhile, in a large pot of salted water, cook pasta 1 minute less than package instructions. Reserve 1/4 c. pasta water; drain pasta and return to pot.

Add sauce and pasta water to pasta and toss to combine; cook over medium-high until sauce thickens and coats pasta, about 2 minutes. Refrigerate 3 cups.

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