Bacon, Rosemary and Tomato Pasta

On an evening where I found the refrigerator (almost) completely bare (unfortunate), and I most certainly did NOT want to go shopping at the market (even more unfortunate)...I assessed what sparse ingredients I did have to work with (fresh garden tomatoes and bacon) and found this amazing recipe online. I was skeptical at first: I haven't had the best luck with fresh tomato sauces in the past. But given the circumstances, I persevered.

Hands down the best fresh tomato sauce I've ever stirred up. I love this sauce most for it's simplicity, but the freshness is unbeatable and the bacon is the star of the show. Using a combination of heirloom and roma tomatoes gave a nice richness to the base, and I did omit the balsamic vinegar though I will try it next time. I served atop homemade rosemary lemon pasta noodles and sprinkled with fresh grated parmesan and finely shredded fresh basil.

The original recipe can be found here.

Ingredients

• 8 ounces pasta, shape of choice
• 3 ounces bacon, sliced into 1/2 inch pieces
• 1 large, bushy sprig of fresh rosemary
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• pinch of crushed red pepper flakes
• kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 2 very large tomatoes (or 3 medium, a mix of yellow and red is nice), cored and chopped
• balsamic vinegar (optional)
• soft herbs if you want this to look pretty

Preparation

1. Cook the pasta in a large pot of heavily salted water.

2. Meanwhile, in a large skillet over medium heat, cook the bacon until brown, about 5 minutes. Transfer the bacon to a paper towel-lined plate, leaving the grease in the pan (if it looks really greasy, spoon some out; you just need a thin layer, enough to sauté the garlic without burning).

3. Add the rosemary, garlic, red pepper flakes, salt and pepper to the skillet and cook until garlic is lightly browned, 1 to 2 minutes. Add the tomatoes and let the sauce simmer until the pasta is cooked. Season aggressively with more salt and black pepper. If it tastes flat, add a few drops of vinegar.

4. Drain the pasta and top with the sauce. Sprinkle with the bacon, parmesan and herbs if you like.

---------------------

Rosemary Lemon Noodles

• 5 large eggs
• 2 Tbsp. chopped fresh or 2 tsp. dried rosemary leaves (I used fresh)
• 1 Tbsp. plus 1 tsp. grated lemon peel
• 1 Tbsp. olive oil
• 1/4 tsp. salt
• 3-1/4 c. flour

Beat eggs, rosemary, lemon peel, oil and salt in large bowl with wire whisk until smooth. Add flour. Mix thoroughly with fork until dough forms. Knead on lightly floured surface 5 to 10 minutes or until smooth and elastic. Cover with plastic wrap or aluminum foil. Let stand 15 minutes.

Using a hand-crank pasta press, roll out dough to a #6 thickness, then hand-cut into wide flat noodles. Served with above sauce, these noodles are sinful.

This noodle recipe makes a LARGE batch, and I had extra plain noodles that were served with Beef Stroganoff later in the week.