Bacon With Bitter Greens And Pasta Food

PASTA WITH WILTED GREENS, BACON AND FRIED EGG

Steps:

• Cook pasta in a large pot of salted boiling water until it's just al dente. (It should still have quite a bite to it; you'll finish cooking it in the skillet.) Drain, reserving 1 cup pasta water.
• Meanwhile, cook the bacon in a large skillet over medium heat until it has rendered all its fat and the pieces are crispy, 5 to 7 minutes. Using a slotted spoon, transfer bacon to a paper towel-lined plate or bowl, leaving the fat behind in the skillet; set bacon aside.
• Return the skillet with the bacon fat to medium-high heat. Crack the eggs into the skillet and season with salt and pepper. Fry the eggs, using a spoon to encourage the bacon fat to come up around the whites and cause them to puff slightly. Cook the eggs until the whites are just set and crisped around the edges and the yolk is still bright yellow and runny, about 3 minutes.
• Using a spatula, transfer eggs to another paper towel-lined plate, leaving the bacon fat behind; set eggs aside.
• Return the skillet with the bacon fat to medium heat and add the garlic. Cook, stirring occasionally, until it's softened and lightly browned, about 2 minutes. Add kale by the handful, letting it wilt between additions, and season with salt and pepper. Cook until the kale is totally wilted and softened, about 4 minutes.
• Add pasta and 1/2 cup pasta water to the skillet, using a wooden spoon to scrape up any browned bits on the bottom. Season with salt and plenty of fresh ground pepper. Continue to cook at medium heat, tossing the pasta occasionally, until the sauce has thickened and reduced by about half, about 2 minutes.
• Add remaining 1/2 cup pasta water and continue to cook, tossing to encourage the starches to release, until you've got a thick, glossy sauce, about 2 to 3 minutes. (The pasta should also be completely tender at this point.) Add 1/4 cup grated cheese and more freshly ground pepper; toss to coat.
• Divide pasta among bowls and crumble crispy bacon over. Top with additional cheese and a fried egg. Make sure to break the yolk before eating.

HONEYCRISP APPLE, CHEDDAR, BACON AND BITTER GREENS SANDWICH

Steps:

• Preheat a griddle over medium-high heat.
• Lay the bacon strips on the griddle. Cook the bacon until browned and crisp. Drain the bacon on paper towels and reserve the bacon fat.
• To build your grilled cheese, place 1/4 cup of the cheese on the bottom of a slice of bread. Top with 2 slices bacon, 4 slices apple, some arugula, 1/4 cup more of the cheese and another slice of bread. Repeat with the remaining ingredients.
• Spread each side of the sandwich with some of the butter. Griddle until the bread is toasted, golden brown and delicious, 2 to 3 minutes on each side. Cut each sandwich into 4 pieces and serve.

GARLIC-AND-GREENS SPAGHETTI

Steps:

• Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Meanwhile, cook the garlic in the olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat, stirring occasionally, until golden brown and crisp, about 3 minutes. (Be careful not to over-brown the garlic or it will taste bitter.) Using a slotted spoon, transfer the garlic chips to a paper-towel-lined plate. Pour off all but 2 tablespoons oil into a small bowl to use as a dip for crusty bread, if desired. Add the onions and red pepper flakes to the oil in the pan; cook, stirring, until the onions are light brown, about 10 minutes. Season with 1 1/2 teaspoons Kosher salt.
• When the onions are almost done, add the greens to the boiling water and cook, uncovered, until just tender, about 2 minutes. Using tongs, remove the greens, shaking off the excess water; add them to the skillet with the onions (set the pot of water aside). Cook, stirring occasionally, until tender, about 5 minutes.
• Return the cooking water to a boil. Add the spaghetti and cook until al dente, 8 to 10 minutes. Remove and reserve about 1 cup cooking water; drain the pasta and transfer to a serving bowl. Add the cheese and toss. Add the greens and some of the reserved pasta water and toss, adding more water as necessary to keep the pasta from clumping. Top with the garlic chips.

BACON PASTA

Steps:

• Cook pasta according to package directions; set aside.
• Cook bacon in large skillet over medium heat until crisp; remove bacon; reserve 2 T.
• drippings in skillet.
• Crumble bacon and set aside.
• Saute sliced mushrooms and garlic in reserved drippings 3 minutes or until tender.
• Stir in pasta, parmesan cheese, whipping cream, and pepper; simmer over medium-low heat until sauce is thickened, stirring often.
• Stir in bacon and green onions; serve immediately.

PASTA WITH BITTER GREENS AND FETA

Steps:

• Heat the oil in a deep skillet, pot, or Dutch oven with a lid. Add the onion and cook for 10-20 minutes over medium heat, stirring periodically. While the onions are cooking, start the pasta water on high heat in a separate large pot.
• When the onions are soft, add the chopped greens to the skillet, lightly salt, and stir until the greens start wilting. Cover and cook 10-15 minutes over medium-low heat. You can cook it for longer if the pasta still isn't ready, over a lower flame.
• Meanwhile, when the water in the pot starts boiling, add the pasta and cook until firm to the bite (it will cook further in the sauce so be careful not to overcook at this point). When it is almost done, add the crumbled feta to the sauce, keeping the heat on low.
• When the pasta is ready, scoop it up with a slotted spoon or strainer, holding it over the pot of water to drain, and then add the drained noodles in batches to the sauce in the skillet, mixing thoroughly.
• Cook the finished pasta on low heat for a few minutes. Then add a grating of Parmesan, if you like, and a few twists of freshly ground black pepper. Serve immediately; the author recommends serving on plates pre-warmed in the oven.

WILTED COLLARDS GREENS WITH BACON AND ONION

Steps:

• Turn an eye on the stove to medium heat.
• In a large sauté pan or stock pot, cook the chopped bacon for a few minutes until some grease is rendered, then, toss in the onion. Cook this until onion becomes tender. DO NOT DRAIN!
• Next, throw the collard greens into the bacon and onion and carefully stir a little (it will seem like there are too many collard greens, but they cook down very quickly).
• Pour in the chicken stock and the water.
• Add the optional seasonings (pepper, seasoning salt and vinegar).
• Cover the pan and cook on medium to medium high. You will see the collards begin to wilt rather quickly.
• Continue cooking until all of the liquid is gone, stirring occasionally. (This normally takes me about 20 minutes.).
• Try the collards and if they are not as tender as you would like, simply add 1/4 cup of water at a time until they reach the desired tenderness.