Bacon And Asparagus Pasta Food

PARMESAN-TOPPED PASTA WITH ASPARAGUS AND BACON

Steps:

• Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil. Cook linguine at a boil until tender yet firm to the bite, about 11 minutes. Drain.
• Meanwhile, cook diced bacon in a pan over medium-high heat, stirring frequently, until nice and crispy, 7 to 10 minutes. Remove bacon with a slotted spoon and drain on paper towels. Remove and discard all but 1 tablespoon grease from the pan.
• Saute asparagus in the bacon grease over medium heat until crisp-tender, about 10 minutes; try to avoid overcooking it. Remove asparagus to a bowl.
• Add wine and give the bottom of a pan a good stir to scrape off any brown bits. Let boil until reduced by about 1/2, about 3 minutes, adding more wine if desired. Add drained pasta, asparagus, bacon, and 1/2 of the Parmesan cheese; toss to coat. Sprinkle remaining Parmesan over top.

ASPARAGUS FETTUCCINE CARBONARA

Steps:

• Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Mix the Parmesan, egg yolks, 1/2 teaspoon salt and a generous amount of black pepper together in a medium bowl; set aside.
• Snap off the woody ends of the asparagus stalks. Use a vegetable peeler to shave the asparagus into thin wide ribbons. (The last strip of asparagus will be a little thicker than the others, but it is fine to use.) Set aside.
• Cook the fettuccine in the boiling water according to the package instructions for al dente. Reserve 1/2 cup of the pasta water, then drain.
• Meanwhile, cook the bacon in a large skillet over medium-high heat, stirring occasionally, until crisp, 7 to 8 minutes. Drain off all but 2 tablespoons bacon fat from the skillet. Add the crushed red pepper flakes and garlic and cook, stirring, until fragrant, about 1 minute. Reduce the heat to medium low, add the drained pasta and asparagus and toss until well coated and mixed with the bacon.
• Whisk 1/4 cup of the reserved pasta water into the egg mixture, then quickly pour it over the pasta and toss to gently cook the eggs and make a creamy sauce. Thin out the mixture with more pasta water as needed, 1 tablespoon at a time. Divide among 4 bowls and garnish with the parsley and more Parmesan if desired.

GEMELLI WITH ASPARAGUS, MOZZARELLA, AND BACON

Steps:

• Snap off and discard the tough ends of the asparagus. Cut the asparagus into 1-inch pieces on the bias; set aside. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil.
• Cook the bacon in a skillet over medium heat until bacon is crisp and all the fat has been rendered, 15 to 20 minutes. Remove the bacon from pan, and drain on paper towels. Crumble the cooked bacon, and set aside. Remove skillet from heat.
• Add the pasta to the boiling water, and cook until al dente, 5 to 7 minutes. Drain pasta in a colander; set aside.
• Meanwhile, discard all but 1/4 cup bacon fat, and return the skillet to medium heat. Add the asparagus and the red-pepper flakes to the skillet. Cook until the asparagus is lightly browned. Drain the pasta, and add to skillet with the crumbled bacon, and the marjoram; season with salt. Toss together until combined and heated through. Remove the skillet from the heat.
• Add the mozzarella, and toss to combine. Divide the pasta among six plates. Garnish each serving with a grind of black pepper, and serve immediately.

LINGUINE WITH ASPARAGUS, PARMESAN, AND BACON

Steps:

• Cook asparagus and pasta according to pasta package directions, omitting salt and fat.
• Drain and set aside.
• Cook bacon in a skillet over medium-high heat until crisp and cool slightly.
• Remove bacon from the pan, reserving 2 teaspoons drippings in pan.
• Crumble bacon.
• Add onion, garlic, and oregano to drippings in the pan and sauté 4 minutes or until onion is lightly browned.
• Add tomatoes and cook 2 minutes.
• Add broth and bring to a boil.
• Stir in butter, salt, and pepper and remove from heat.
• Place asparagus mixture in a large bowl and add tomato mixture and juice, tossing well.
• Top with bacon and shredded cheese.
• Garnish with shaved Parmesan, if desired.

MAKEOVER RIGATONI WITH BACON AND ASPARAGUS

Steps:

• Fill a 6-qt. stockpot 3/4 full with water; bring to a boil. Add asparagus; cook, uncovered, 3 minutes or until tender. Remove with a slotted spoon and immediately drop into ice water. Drain and pat dry., Return water to a boil; cook rigatoni according to package directions. Meanwhile, in a small saucepan, heat butter and oil over medium-high heat. Add garlic; cook and stir 1 minute. Stir in cream. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat; simmer, uncovered, 3-4 minutes or until slightly thickened. Stir in mozzarella cheese until melted., Drain rigatoni; return to pan. Stir in asparagus, bacon, parsley, salt, pepper and cream sauce. Sprinkle with Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese.

PASTA WITH CHICKEN, ASPARAGUS & PROSCIUTTO (OR BACON)

Steps:

• Trim the asparagus and cut into short lengths on the diagonal - keep the tips separate. (If you like, peel the stems to give a more vibrant colour when cooked.) Cook the stems in salted boiling water for about 4 minutes, then add the tips and cook for 1 minute more. Drain and refresh under cold running water.
• Peel the lemons with a serrated knife, remove all the white pith, then cut into segments by slicing each side of the pieces of membrane. Now cut the segments into small pieces (flick out any pips) and put them in a bowl with any juice. Broil the prosciutto for 3-4 minutes until crisp - keep an eye on it because it can burn easily.
• Meanwhile cook the pasta in plenty of well-salted boiling water until al dente.While it's cooking, put the butter and half the cream in a large pan and let them bubble together over a low heat for 2-3 minutes until thickened slightly. Tip in the lemon segments and juice, the chicken, asparagus and a few pinches of salt. Turn off the heat.
• Drain the pasta and add it to the contents of the pan along with the rest of the cream. Toss well, adding black pepper and nutmeg to taste, and the grated parmesan. Toss again, top with the prosciutto and serve immediately.

FUSILLI WITH ASPARAGUS AND BACON

Steps:

• Cook bacon in a 12-inch heavy skillet over moderately high heat, stirring occasionally, until browned and crisp, about 6 minutes. Transfer bacon with a slotted spoon to paper towels to drain. Pour off all but 2 tablespoons fat from skillet, then add oil and onion to skillet and cook, stirring occasionally, until onion is golden, about 4 minutes.
• Add asparagus and sauté, stirring, until crisp-tender, 4 to 5 minutes. Season with salt and pepper.
• While onion is cooking, cook pasta in a 6- to 8-quart pot of boiling salted water until al dente. Reserve 1 cup pasta cooking water and drain pasta in a colander.
• Return pasta to pot along with asparagus mixture, 1/2 cup pasta cooking water, and cheese. Add remaining 1/2 cup cooking water to skillet and deglaze by boiling, stirring and scraping up brown bits, 1 minute. Add to pasta and toss over moderately low heat until combined well, about 30 seconds.
• Serve pasta sprinkled with bacon and with additional cheese on the side.

FRIED ASPARAGUS WITH BACON

Steps:

• Cook and stir bacon in a skillet over medium heat until crisp, about 5 minutes. Discard grease.
• Melt butter in the same skillet.
• Cook and stir asparagus and shallot with salt and black pepper in melted butter and bacon. Cover skillet and cook, stirring occasionally, until asparagus are tender, about 5 minutes.
• Transfer asparagus mixture to a platter. Sprinkle with Parmesan cheese.

ROASTED ASPARAGUS, PANCETTA & CHERRY TOMATO PASTA

Steps:

• Heat oven to 200C/fan 180C/gas 6. Boil the pasta in salted water. Put the asparagus into a roasting tin, then toss with the oil and pancetta. Roast for 10 mins until the pancetta starts to crisp up, stir in the tomatoes, then cook for 5 mins more.
• Drain the pasta, then add to the roasting tin along with the torn basil leaves and seasoning. Stir well until everything is glistening, then serve in bowls, scattered with grated Parmesan.