Catching up on my blog via pasta

You would think I've neglected my blog for a long time because of the title of my post but it's because I've been really busy in the kitchen and couldn't find the time to document everything. In effect, I've been sort of selective in my drafts; not playing favorites but due to lack of time. So let me back track and post the stuff which I haven't posted. I also owe this to my followers from Soompi who sent me messages requesting for recipes. First, let me introduce you to a great find which is now a resident ingredient in my pantry- Pesto alla Genovese from Trader Joe's. This saves me the time processing my own pesto sauce and at a very reasonable price. You know pine nuts and fresh basil can be pricey (they are pricey) and sometimes, we are in a rush and throwing in some ready-made stuff in a dish is helpful and very much welcome for as long as it does not really take away that homemade flavor.

So the first time I used this bottled basil pesto is with penne pasta. It is so easy to make, just cook the pasta in salted water and while you're at it, whisk together olive oil, basil pesto and fresh cracked pepper and just toss the drained pasta into it; sprinkle with shaved Parmigiano-Regiano cheese and serve.

It's pretty good and with some good cheese you couldn't ask for more. Then I thought I'd try to incorporate the basil pesto with carbonara sauce with bacon and here's what I came up with.

Spaghetti with Creamy Pesto and Bacon

Creamy Bacon Pesto Pasta

1 lb pasta of your choice

1 cup toasted chopped bacon

1 small onion, chopped

2 cups heavy cream

1 cup pesto

1 cup Pecorino-Romano cheese

Cook pasta in salted water.

Fry the bacon until crispy and towards the end, add the onions and let them fry along for a minute. Add the heavy cream, pesto sauce and simmer on low heat

Drain the pasta and toss into the pesto and bacon-cream mixture.

Sprinkle cheese and serve right away

And for my last item- good old Creamy Carbonara Spaghetti with Bacon

Ingredients:

1 lb Spaghetti cooked al dente, reserve 3 tbsp pasta water to mix with beaten eggs

2 extra large eggs

6 strips of bacon, chopped, toasted and drained of fats

1 small onion, chopped

2 cups half and half

2 tbsp chopped sun dried tomatoes in olive oil

half a stick of unsalted butter

3 tbsp all purpose flour

half a cup grated Parmesan cheese

half a cup Pecorino-Romano cheese

Method:

In a skillet, cook the bacon until crisp. Drain on paper towels and pour off all but 1 tablespoon of the fat in skillet.

Sauté the onion and cook until translucent. Add the red pepper flakes and sun dried tomatoes and cook for a minute. Turn off the heat.

In a sauce pan over medium high heat, melt butter and sprinkle the all purpose flour. Stir and allow the flour to cook then add the half and half. Stir in onion, sun dried tomatoes and simmer for 2 minutes. Add the Parmesan cheese and bacon. Toss cooked pasta and add the beaten eggs and pasta water mixture. Sprinkle with chopped parsley and Pecorino-Romano cheese.

Hmm... why is bacon so sinfully tasty? It just adds another dimension to carbonara sauce with its smoky flavor. Happy cooking everyone!