Linguini With Bacon Parmasean And Onion From Food And Wine

LINGUINI WITH BACON, PARMASEAN AND ONION FROM FOOD AND WINE

Steps:

• In a large frying pan, cook the bacon until crisp. Remove the bacon with a slotted spoon and drain on paper towels. Pour off all but 2 tablespoons of the bacon fat. Put the pan over moderate heat. Add the onions, the thyme, the red-pepper flakes, and 1/4 teaspoon of the salt. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the onions are brown, about 10 minutes. Remove from the heat. In a large pot of boiling, salted water, cook the linguine until just done, about 12 minutes. Reserve 1 cup of the pasta water. Drain the linguine and toss with the bacon, onions, 3/4 cup of the reserved pasta water, the Parmesan, parsley, the remaining 3/4 teaspoon salt, and the pepper. If the sauce seems too thick, add more of the pasta water. Serve with additional Parmesan cheese. Notes Variation: Linguine with Leeks, Pancetta, and Parmesan Substitute 1/2 pound of pancetta for the bacon, and 1 1/2 cups of sliced leeks, white and light-green parts only (from about 3 medium leeks), for the onion.

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.

LINGUINE WITH BACON AND ONIONS

Steps:

• Bring 6 quarts of salted water to a boil.
• Boil linguine for about 8 minutes, or until al dente.
• Strain when done leaving about a cup of pasta-cooking water aside.
• Heat olive oil in large, heavy skillet over medium heat.
• Add bacon and cook, stirring until bacon is browned and still soft in the center, about 6 minutes.
• Remove bacon from skillet, leaving 3-4 T. of fat in the pan.
• Add onions and cook until wilted but still crunchy, about 4-5 minutes.
• Add broth, bring to a boil, then adjust heat to a simmer. Cook until liquid is reduced about half.
• Combine pasta with the onions and "sauce". Stir to coat the pasta.
• Add pasta water if necessary, to coat pasta.
• Toss in bacon.
• Remove from heat and add egg yolks one at a time, tossing well after each.
• Add grated cheese, then black pepper, tossing well, and serve immediately.

BACON AND PARMESAN PENNE PASTA

Steps:

• Place the chopped bacon and onion in a skillet over medium heat, and cook and stir until the bacon is crisp and the onion is beginning to brown, about 10 minutes.
• While the bacon and onion are cooking, fill a large pot with lightly salted water and bring to a rolling boil over high heat. Once the water is boiling, stir in the penne, and return to a boil. Cook the pasta uncovered, stirring occasionally, until cooked through, but is still firm to the bite, about 11 minutes. Drain pasta, transfer to a large serving bowl, and stir in the olive oil to coat the pasta.
• Drain the bacon grease from the skillet, leaving a couple of tablespoons or to taste. Stir the cooked bacon mixture into the pasta, and sprinkle the Parmesan cheese over the pasta. Stir to mix in the cheese, and serve.

LINGUINE WITH PEPERONCINI AND BACON

Steps:

• Sauté bacon in heavy large pot over medium-high heat until crisp and brown. Using slotted spoon, transfer bacon to paper towels and drain. Spoon off all but 3 tablespoons drippings from pot. Add onion and garlic to drippings. Sauté over medium-high heat until onion begins to soften, about 4 minutes. Add peperoncini and stir 1 minute. Add tomatoes with juices and bacon. Simmer sauce 2 minutes to blend flavors. Season sauce with salt and pepper. Reduce heat to medium-low. Add linguine; toss until pasta is coated with sauce. Transfer linguine to bowl; sprinkle with Parmesan cheese. Serve, passing more cheese separately.

LINGUINE WITH BACON AND ONIONS (LIDIA BASTIANICH)

Steps:

• Bring 6 quarts of salted water to the boil in an 8-quart pot over high heat.
• Remove the rind, if necessary from the bacon. Cut the bacon into 1/4 inch slices, then cut the slices crosswise into 1/4 inch strips. Heat the olive oil in a large, heavy skillet over medium heat. Add the bacon and cook, stirring, until the bacon is lightly browned, but still soft in the center, about 6 minutes.
• The amount of fat in the skillet will vary depending on the bacon. If there is more than 3 to 4 tablespoons of fat in the pan, pour off the excess. If there is less than 3 to 4 tablespoons, add enough olive oil to measure that amount. Add the onions and cook until wilted, but still crunchy, about 4 to 5 minutes. Add the stock, bring to a boil and adjust the heat to a lively simmer. Cook until the liquid is reduced by about half.
• Meanwhile, stir the linguini into the boiling salted water. Return to a boil, stirring frequently. Cook the pasta, semi-covered, stirring occasionally, until done, about 8 minutes.
• Ladle off about a cup of the pasta cooking water. If the skillet is large enough to accommodate the sauce and pasta, fish the pasta out of the boiling water with a large wire skimmer and drop it directly into sauce in the skillet. If not, drain the pasta, return it to the pot and pour in the sauce. Bring the sauce and pasta to a boil, stirring to coat the pasta with sauce. Check the seasoning, adding salt if necessary. If necessary, add as much chicken stock or pasta cooking water as needed to make enough sauce to generously coat the pasta. Remove the pan from the heat and add the egg yolks one at a time, tossing well after each. (A salad fork and spoon work well for this.) Add the grated cheese, then the black pepper, tossing well and serve immediately in warmed bowls.