Gemelli With Asparagus Mozzarella And Bacon Recipes

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.

CAVATELLI WITH ASPARAGUS, LEMON AND FRESH RICOTTA

Steps:

• Place the woody stems from the asparagus in a food processor. Process until smooth. Transfer the pureed asparagus to a fine-mesh strainer set over a small bowl. Let the juices drain, 5 to 10 minutes, pressing down lightly on the puree with a wooden spoon occasionally. Reserve the juice and discard the pulp.
• Bring a large pot of generously salted water to a boil.
• Meanwhile, in a large bowl, whisk the ricotta, Parmesan and 1 tablespoon lemon juice with some salt and pepper. Add the lemon zest and set aside.
• Once the water has boiled, add the cavatelli and cook according to the package instructions until al dente.
• Meanwhile, add the olive oil to a large skillet over medium heat. Add the garlic and cook until lightly golden, about 2 minutes. Remove the garlic, then add the sliced asparagus and saute until tender, 3 to 5 minutes. Drain the cavatelli directly into the skillet with the asparagus. Add about half of the asparagus juice and allow to simmer for 1 minute. Add the remaining asparagus juice and the remaining tablespoon lemon juice and cook until the pasta is glossy, about 1 minute. Transfer to a bowl and garnish with Pecorino-Romano, lemon zest, dollops of the whipped ricotta, basil and black pepper.

CAVATELLI WITH ASPARAGUS

Steps:

• Make the dough: Put the flour in a large bowl and make a well in the center. Mix the ricotta and egg in a small bowl with a fork; add to the well. Using the fork and working your way around the well, gradually mix the flour into the ricotta mixture until the dough is crumbly. If the dough is too dry to come together, add up to 3 tablespoons water, a little at a time.
• Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface and knead until smooth and elastic, about 6 minutes. Wrap the dough in plastic wrap and let rest at room temperature, 30 minutes. (The dough can be made a day ahead and refrigerated; bring it to room temperature before rolling.)
• Divide the dough into 8 pieces. Working with 1 piece at a time (and keeping the other pieces wrapped), roll the dough on the counter with your hands into a 1/2-inch-thick log. With a knife or bench scraper, cut the log into 1/2-inch pieces. Roll each piece into a small ball. Flatten each ball of dough with your finger. Place the back of a butter knife on the flattened dough and gently pull it toward you so the dough curls around the knife. Repeat to form the remaining cavatelli; transfer to a floured baking sheet as you go.
• Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Transfer the cavatelli to a colander and shake over the baking sheet to remove the excess flour. Add the cavatelli to the boiling water and cook until al dente, about 5 minutes.
• Meanwhile, melt the butter in a large skillet over medium-high heat; add the asparagus and lemon zest and juice. Remove the cavatelli with a strainer or slotted spoon and add directly to the skillet along with 3/4 cup of the pasta cooking water. Cook, stirring gently, until the pasta is coated and the asparagus is tender, 3 to 4 minutes; season with salt and pepper. Stir in the parmesan and parsley; serve with more parmesan.

GEMELLI WITH CAULIFLOWER, BACON, AND SAGE

Steps:

• In a large pot of boiling salted water, cook pasta according to package instructions. Reserve 1/2 cup pasta water; drain pasta and return to pot.
• Meanwhile, in a large nonstick skillet, cook bacon over medium until fat is rendered and bacon is crisp, 10 minutes. With a slotted spoon, transfer bacon to paper towels to drain. Add butter, onions, and garlic to skillet and cook until onions are softened, 10 minutes. Add cauliflower, cover, and cook, stirring occasionally, until cauliflower is tender, 12 minutes. Stir in bacon and sage and cook until fragrant, 1 minute. Add cauliflower mixture to pot with pasta. Stir in vinegar and enough pasta water to create a thin sauce that coats pasta. Season with salt and pepper.

BACON-WRAPPED ASPARAGUS

Steps:

• Wash and trim asparagus spears.
• Cut bacon strips in half crosswise.
• Wrap one-half strip bacon around each asparagus spear, leaving tip and end exposed.
• Lay on a cookie sheet with sides.
• Bake in a preheated 400 degree Fahrenheit oven for 20 to 25 minutes, or until bacon is cooked.
• Serve warm or at room temperature.
• **Note: You may want to try my Baked Bacon recipe #187790 for 10 minutes, to avoid over cooking asparagus.

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.

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.

SEARED SCALLOP GEMELLI WITH ASPARAGUS, SNAP PEAS AND PECORINO

Steps:

• Cook pasta in boiling salted water according to package directions; drain.
• Meanwhile, heat a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add pancetta, and cook 3 minutes or until crisp, stirring occasionally. Remove from skillet, and drain on paper towels. Return skillet to cooktop, and add 2 tablespoons oil, onion, and garlic; cook, over medium-high heat, 5 minutes or until onion starts to soften, stirring occasionally. Add asparagus; cook 2 minutes or until bright green. Stir in peas, and cook 2 minutes. Add vermouth; cook 1 minute or until reduced to a glaze. Stir in tarragon and cook 1 minute. Remove from heat.
• Heat remaining 1 tablespoon oil in a separate skillet over medium-high heat. Sprinkle scallops with 1/4 teaspoon salt and 1/8 teaspoon pepper. Add to skillet, and cook 2 to 3 minutes on each side or until browned.
• Return large skillet to cooktop. Add cooked pasta and 2 tablespoons butter, and cook 1 minute or until butter melts. Remove skillet from heat, and stir in cheese, half of reserved pancetta, and remaining 1/4 teaspoon salt and 1/8 teaspoon pepper. Divide pasta among 4 bowls, top each evenly with scallops, and sprinkle with remaining pancetta.

ORZO WITH BACON AND ASPARAGUS

Steps:

• Cook bacon in large nonstick skillet over medium heat until crisp. Reserve bacon and 2 tablespoons bacon drippings in skillet. Add broth; bring to a boil. Add orzo. Reduce heat to low; cover and cook 5 minutes.
• Add asparagus and roasted peppers; cover and cook an additional 5 to 10 minutes or until orzo and asparagus are tender, stirring occasionally. Sprinkle individual servings with cheese.

GEMELLI WITH ASPARAGUS, SMOKED SALMON, AND DILL

Steps:

• Cook pasta in a 6- to 8-quart pot of boiling salted water 8 minutes. Add asparagus and boil until asparagus is crisp-tender and pasta is al dente, about 2 minutes.
• While pasta is cooking, heat cream just to boiling in a 1-quart heavy saucepan, then stir in zest and remove from heat.
• Ladle out 1 cup pasta cooking water and reserve, then drain pasta and asparagus in a colander.
• Toss pasta and asparagus with cream, dill, salt, pepper, and 1/2 cup reserved cooking water in a large bowl (or in pasta pot). If pasta looks dry, moisten with some of remaining water. Add salmon and toss well.