Burst Tomatoes And Bacon Food

BACON-TOMATO LINGUINE

Steps:

• Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add the pasta and cook as the label directs. Reserve 1 1/4 cups cooking water, then drain the pasta; set aside.
• Meanwhile, cook the bacon in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat until crisp, about 5 minutes. Add the tomatoes and shallot and cook until the tomatoes are starting to burst, about 5 minutes. Pour off all but 2 tablespoons of the drippings from the skillet.
• Whisk the eggs, cheese, lemon zest and 1 teaspoon pepper in a medium bowl. Slowly whisk in 1 cup of the reserved cooking water; set aside.
• Reduce the heat under the skillet to medium low. Add the pasta and toss well. Slowly pour in the egg mixture, tossing, to make a creamy sauce, about 1 minute. Season with salt and add the remaining 1/4 cup cooking water as needed to loosen. Stir in the basil. Top each serving with more cheese and season with pepper.

TAGLIATELLE WITH BACON, BURST CHERRY TOMATOES AND ARUGULA

Steps:

• Coat a large wide pan with olive oil. Toss in the bacon, garlic and red pepper; bring to medium-high heat. When the garlic turns golden and is very aromatic, 2 to 3 minutes, remove it from the pan and ditch it -- it has fulfilled its garlic destiny. Add the cherry tomatoes to the pan and roll them around until coated. Add 1 cup of the stock, season with salt, reduce the heat to medium and let the tomatoes cook until they start to burst, 8 to 10 minutes.
• Bring a large pot of well-salted water to a boil. Drop the pasta in the boiling water and cook for 2 to 3 minutes, or until it's tender but toothsome.
• Drain the pasta and add it to the veggies along with about 1/2 cup reserved cooking water; toss vigorously to combine. Remove the pan from the heat, toss in the arugula, drizzle with the big fat finishing oil and sprinkle with Parmigiano. Serve immediately.
• Put the all-purpose flour on a clean, dry work surface. Make a hole (this is also called a well) in the center of the flour pile that is about 8 inches wide (bigger is definitely better here). Crack all of the eggs and the yolk into the hole and add the olive oil, water and salt.
• Using a fork, beat the eggs together with the olive oil, water and salt. Using the fork, begin to incorporate the flour into the egg mixture; be careful not to break the sides of the well or the egg mixture will run all over your board and you will have a big mess! Also, don't worry about the lumps. When enough flour has been incorporated into the egg mixture that it will not run all over the place when the sides of the well are broken, begin to use your hands to really get everything well combined. If the mixture is tight and dry, wet your hands and begin kneading with wet hands. When the mixture has really come together to a homogeneous mixture, THEN you can start kneading.
• When kneading it is VERY important to put your body weight into it, get on top of the dough to really stretch it and not tear the dough. Using the heels of your palms, roll the dough to create a very smooooooth, supple dough. When done, the dough should look VERY smooth and feel almost velvety. Kneading will usually take from 8 to 10 minutes for an experienced kneader and 10 to 15 for an inexperienced kneader. Put your body weight into it, you need to knead! This is where the perfect, toothsome texture of your pasta is formed. Get in there and have fun!
• When the pasta has been kneaded to the perfect consistency, wrap it in plastic and let rest for at least 1 hour. If using immediately do not refrigerate.
• Roll and cut the pasta into desired shape. How smooth and supple!

SEARED SCALLOP PASTA WITH BURST TOMATOES AND HERBS

Steps:

• Bring a large pot of well-salted water (2 heaping tablespoons kosher salt to about 7 quarts water) to a boil. Add the pasta and cook according to package instructions until al dente. Reserve 1 1/2 cups pasta cooking water, then drain pasta.
• Wipe out the pot and heat 2 tablespoons olive oil over medium. Add the shallots and cook until they begin to soften, 2 to 3 minutes. Add the tomatoes and cook, stirring occasionally, until they start to burst, 5 to 7 minutes. Add about 1/3 cup reserved pasta water, and press the tomatoes gently with the back of a spatula or wooden spoon to get them nice and jammy. Stir in the garlic and red-pepper flakes, if using, and cook, allowing the sauce to simmer, 1 to 2 minutes. Season with salt and pepper; set aside.
• Season the scallops well on both sides with salt and pepper. In a 12-inch skillet, heat the remaining 2 tablespoons olive oil over high. When the oil shimmers, add the scallops, working in batches to avoid crowding the pan, and cook until golden brown and crisp, flipping once, 1 to 2 minutes per side.
• Add the pasta, 1 1/2 cups herbs and 1/4 cup reserved pasta water to the pot with the tomatoes and toss to coat, adding additional pasta water if needed. Divide the pasta among shallow bowls and top with scallops. Garnish with additional herbs and a drizzle of olive oil, if desired.

PASTA WITH BACON AND TOMATOES

Steps:

• Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Hull the tomatoes and cut a shallow "x" through the skin on the bottom of each. Prepare an ice bath.
• Put the tomatoes in the boiling water and boil for 30 seconds. Remove with a slotted spoon and submerge in the ice bath. Reserve the pot of boiling water. When the tomatoes are cool, use the back of a paring knife to peel the tomatoes. Cut the tomatoes in half lengthwise and squeeze out and discard the seeds, then chop the tomatoes into approximately 1/2-inch pieces.
• Put the bacon in a large cold skillet and cook over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until crisp, about 10 minutes. Using a slotted spoon, transfer the bacon to a paper towel-lined plate. Discard all but about 2 tablespoons of the bacon fat from the skillet.
• Add the onion to the drippings in the skillet and cook over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until soft and pale golden, about 10 minutes. Add the wine and boil until reduced by half, about 3 minutes. Add the chopped tomatoes, red pepper flakes, 1/2 teaspoon salt and pepper to taste, and cook, stirring occasionally, until the tomatoes start to break down, about 5 minutes.
• Cook the spaghetti according to the package directions in the reserved pot of tomato water until al dente, about 10 minutes. Reserve 1 cup of the cooking water, then drain the pasta. Add the pasta to the skillet with the sauce, along with 1/2 cup of the cooking water and toss to coat. Add more water if necessary for desired consistency. Stir in half the bacon and half the herbs and season with salt and pepper. Divide the pasta and sauce among bowls and top with the remaining bacon and herbs. Serve with Parmesan for topping.

BURST TOMATOES AND BACON

Steps:

• In a cast-iron pan over medium heat, add the bacon and cook until crisp, 8 to 10 minutes. Remove the bacon to a paper towel-lined plate.
• Remove all but 1 tablespoon of the bacon fat from the pan.
• Add the tomatoes and swirl them around the pan so they are fully coated in the bacon fat and glossy; add more bacon fat if needed.
• Cook the tomatoes until they are plump and about to burst, about 5 minutes. Remove to a serving dish and crumble the bacon on top. Serve immediately.

THE SS B.L.T.

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.
• Evenly space the bacon on a baking sheet lined with a wire rack and bake until crispy, 15 to 18 minutes. Drain the bacon on paper towels, reserving the bacon fat from the pan. Reduce the oven temperature to 350 degrees F. Once cooled, finely mince the bacon.
• For the caper spread: In a bowl, combine the cream cheese, capers, chives and honey mustard, and season with salt and pepper. With a rubber spatula, mix all the ingredients until combined. Adjust the seasoning if necessary.
• For the sandwich build: Cut the crusts from the bread. Brush slices on one side with the reserved bacon fat and transfer to the oven to warm through, about 5 minutes. Smear the fat side of four slices with some caper spread. Layer with 1 1/2 ounces of smoked salmon, some red onion, tomato, minced bacon and arugula. Top with another slice of bread and cut each sandwich into thirds, to make finger sandwiches.

PASTA WITH BURST CHERRY TOMATOES

Steps:

• Bring a large pot of heavily salted water to a boil. Add pasta and cook until 1 minute shy of al dente. Drain pasta, reserving 1/2 cup pasta cooking water.
• Meanwhile, heat a large skillet over medium-high heat for 15 seconds, then add the oil and heat until it thins out and easily coats the pan when swirled. Add pancetta and cook until it starts to render its fat, about 2 minutes. Add garlic, red pepper flakes and a large pinch of salt and pepper and cook until fragrant, about 2 minutes. Add tomatoes and cook until they burst, turn golden at the edges and shrivel up slightly, about 5 to 8 minutes.
• Add pasta to pan and toss with tomato-pancetta mixture; if the mixture looks dry add a little pasta cooking water a few tablespoons at a time. Cook over high heat until the pasta finishes cooking in the sauce. Add the butter and toss until it melts and coats everything.
• Divide pasta among warmed pasta bowls. Garnish with dollops of ricotta if desired, and top with a generous mound of fresh mint and scallions. Drizzle with olive oil and sprinkle with sea salt and more pepper before serving.