Bacon And Artichoke Pasta Recipes

PANTRY PASTA

Steps:

• Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil.
• In a large saute pan over medium heat, heat 1 tablespoon olive oil. Add the bacon and cook until it just starts to get a little crispy, about 5 minutes. Add the crushed red pepper, garlic and shallot and cook, stirring, until tender, 3 to 5 minutes. Add the beans and artichokes to the pan and cook for another 2 minutes. Season with salt and pepper.
• Meanwhile, cook the orecchiette in the boiling water for the amount of time specified on the box, minus 2 minutes. Reserve 3/4 cup of the pasta water, then drain the pasta.
• Add the pasta to the pan with the artichokes and beans and toss over medium heat. Add the pasta water and continue to cook until the pasta achieves an al dente texture and the sauce is coating the pasta. Remove from the heat and add half of the Parmesan. Mix in the butter and half of the parsley. Season with more salt and pepper. Transfer to large serving bowl and garnish with the remaining Parmesan, parsley and 2 tablespoons olive oil.

FETTUCCINE WITH SAGE BUTTER, BACON AND ARTICHOKES

Steps:

• Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil for pasta.
• Melt butter in large skillet over medium-low heat.
• Add sage leaves and cook, stirring often, until butter begins to brown very slightly and sage begins to crisp, about 3 to 4 minutes.
• Add bacon and artichoke hearts and cook until heated through, about 1 minute.
• Boil fettuccine until tender but still firm.
• Drain and add to sauce in skillet.
• Sprinkle in cheese and a generous grinding of black pepper, and toss with tongs.
• Taste and season with salt if neccessary.
• Tilt pasta out onto a large warm platter, or divide it between individual pasta bowls.

ORECCHIETTE WITH ARTICHOKES AND BACON

Steps:

• Bring a large pot of salted water to boil. Once it is boiling, plop in the orecchiette and cook until al dente.
• Clean and prepare the artichokes as detailed on page 18. Then cut all of the artichokes into 1/2-inch-thick slices, and leave in the water while you start the sauce.
• Put the bacon, 1 tablespoon of the olive oil, and the crushed garlic in a large straight-sided skillet over medium heat. Cook the bacon until most of the fat has rendered, about 5 minutes. Drain the artichokes, pat dry, and add to the skillet along with the juice of the remaining lemon. Season with the salt and peperoncino. Cover, and let the artichokes cook gently until they begin to soften and caramelize, about 10 minutes. Uncover, and add about 1 cup pasta water, then bring to a simmer and cook, uncovered, until the artichokes are tender, about 10 minutes more.
• When the pasta is al dente, scoop it out of the water and add to the sauce. Drizzle with the remaining 2 tablespoons olive oil, and add the chopped parsley. Cook, tossing to coat the pasta with the sauce. Remove from heat, sprinkle with the grated Pecorino Romano, and toss. Serve.

PASTA WITH ARTICHOKES AND PANCETTA

Steps:

• Squeeze one lemon half into a large bowl of cold water. Pluck off all tough leaves from one artichoke, until you reach leaves that are pale and soft. Using a vegetable peeler or paring knife, peel stem and trim base of artichoke, then dunk it in lemon water to keep it from browning. Cut off the top 1/3 of artichoke and discard. Cut artichoke in half; remove any inner purple leaves and scoop out the fuzzy choke if there is one. Thinly slice artichoke lengthwise to include some of the heart. Put slices in the lemon water and leave them there as you cut remaining artichokes.
• Bring a large pot of heavily salted water to a boil, then cook pasta according to package directions. Reserve 1 cup pasta water, then drain.
• Meanwhile, heat oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Stir in pancetta and cook until browned and crispy, stirring occasionally, 8 to 12 minutes. Use a slotted spoon to transfer pancetta to a paper towel-lined plate; leave fat in pan.
• Drain the artichokes, shaking them well to remove excess water. Raise heat under pan to medium-high, and stir in artichokes, leeks, 1/2 teaspoon salt and 1/2 teaspoon pepper, and cook until golden brown and tender, 10 to 12 minutes. Reduce heat to low, and stir in vermouth, scraping up any browned bits from bottom of skillet.
• Stir in cooked pasta, pancetta, chives and parsley. If the mixture seems dry, add pasta water, a little at a time. Stir in more salt to taste, Parmesan and lemon juice to taste.
• Transfer to serving plates and top with a drizzle of oil, more black pepper, and more grated cheese.

BAKED BROCCOLI-AND-ARTICHOKE SHELLS

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 425°F. Cook pasta in a pot of salted boiling water 4 minutes. Add broccoli and cook 2 minutes more; drain. Combine panko and 2 tablespoons Parmigiano.
• In a saucepan, cook bacon over medium heat until crisp, 4 to 5 minutes. Transfer to paper towels. Add butter to pan; melt. Whisk in flour; cook 1 minute. Slowly whisk in milk. Bring to a simmer; cook, whisking, until thickened slightly, about 4 minutes. Stir in remaining Parmigiano, cheddar, artichokes, broccoli, pasta, and bacon; season to taste.
• Transfer mixture to a 2-quart baking dish. Sprinkle with panko mixture. Bake until golden and bubbling, about 20 minutes. Let cool slightly before serving.

BAKED ARTICHOKE PASTA WITH CREAMY GOAT CHEESE

Steps:

• Heat oven to 425 degrees and bring a large pot of heavily salted water to a boil. Cook fusilli according to package directions until 3 minutes shy of al dente. Reserve 3 cups pasta water, then drain.
• Meanwhile, in a large oven-proof skillet, heat oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Cook scallion whites until softened, about 5 minutes, then add garlic and cook another 1 minute. Stir in red-pepper flakes, and cook another 30 seconds.
• Whisk in 1 1/2 cups pasta water, cream cheese and goat cheese, and simmer, whisking, until smooth. Stir in artichokes, 1 cup fried onions, the mozzarella, the parsley, the dill and the reserved scallion greens, then stir in cooked pasta and black pepper. Add more pasta water if it seems too dry; you want this to be fairly liquid, because the pasta will soak up the sauce as it bakes. Taste and add some salt if needed.
• Top pasta with remaining cup of fried onions and the Parmesan. Bake until filling is bubbly and onions are browned, about 10 to 20 minutes. Serve drizzled with olive oil, and with more red-pepper flakes on the side if you like.