PDA

View Full Version : Rev: Fettucine with tomatoes , bacon , arugula and goat cheese


emily
12-05-2002, 11:31 AM
I got this recipe from Epicurious (http://food.epicurious.com/run/recipe/view?id=5636) and boy is it tasty! 3 of us had it for dinner and cleaned our plates and I also had it for lunch the past two days. It's perfect at just above warm - then the flavors really stand out. I posted my changes in brackets, although I'm sure this would be great as is too. :)

FETTUCCINE WITH TOMATOES, BACON, ARUGULA AND GOAT CHEESE

Spicy crushed red pepper, rosemary and garlic enhance this main course. Uncork an Italian Barbera to match the menu's hearty flavors. For dessert, offer a compote of blueberries and sliced nectarines with crème fraîche (available at many supermarkets) or lightly whipped cream.

2 1/2 pounds plum tomatoes, seeded, chopped (about 5 cups) [I used one of those bags of Nature Sweet Cherry tomatoes and quartered them]
2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar [1 Tbs]

3 tablespoons olive oil [2 tsp]
6 thick bacon slices, cut into 1/2-inch pieces [6 slices proscuitto, left whole]
2 medium leeks (white and pale green parts only), finely chopped [1]
2 tablespoons finely chopped garlic [at least]
1 tablespoon chopped fresh rosemary
1/2 teaspoon dried crushed red pepper
5 cups coarsely chopped fresh arugula (about 6 ounces) [I used spinach]

2 9-ounce packages fresh fettuccine [1 lb dried whole wheat spaghetti]
6 ounces soft fresh goat cheese , crumbled
6 tablespoons freshly grated Parmesan cheese [1 used approximately 2 T]
Additional grated Parmesan cheese

Combine tomatoes and vinegar in large bowl. Season with salt and pepper. Let stand until tomatoes release their juice, about 15 minutes.

Heat oil in heavy large skillet over medium-high heat. Add bacon; cook until crisp, about 5 minutes. [I didn't use any oil to cook the proscuitto] Using slotted spoon, transfer bacon to paper towels. [This is when I crumbled].

[Add 1 turn around pan of olive oil]. Add leeks to same skillet and sauté until tender, about 3 minutes. Add garlic, rosemary and crushed red pepper; sautŽ 1 minute. Add tomato mixture and cooked bacon. Simmer until tomatoes are heated through, about 4 minutes. Add arugula and simmer until wilted, about 1 minute.

Meanwhile, cook pasta in large pot of boiling salted water until tender but still firm to bite, about 3 minutes. Drain. [Reserve 1 cup pasta water.]

Transfer pasta to large bowl. Add goat cheese, 6 tablespoons Parmesan cheese and tomato mixture [and reserved pasta water]. Toss to combine. Season with salt and pepper. Serve, passing additional Parmesan separately.

Serves 6.

Bon Appétit
August 1998

Alethea
12-05-2002, 01:27 PM
This looks so delicious, and perfect for a cold, winter night. I think this is going on next week's menu. Thanks for posting!:)

RebeccaT
12-05-2002, 02:31 PM
This looks awesome, Em! And I think that I like your version better than the epicurious one... why on earth would you use oil to cook bacon????

aggie94
12-05-2002, 02:40 PM
Originally posted by RebeccaT
why on earth would you use oil to cook bacon????

Because fat tastes GOOD.

;) :p

emily
12-05-2002, 02:55 PM
Originally posted by aggie94


Because fat tastes GOOD.

;) :p

Hence the reason I left in all the goat cheese even though I'd halved most of the other ingredients. ;) :D

The goat cheese melts into this sauce that's so good!

Oh, and it comes together in well under an hour! Perfect for a week night :)

Sami
12-05-2002, 03:04 PM
WOW that looks delicious, Emily. I am going to file it for when I have more than me to eat it.

Sami

Beth
12-05-2002, 03:07 PM
Emily, thanks for your review. It sounds great, and I agree that I would probably make it more like your variation too. Do you think some beans would be good with this, or would that be too many things going on? I am thinking cannelli.

emily
12-05-2002, 03:45 PM
Originally posted by Beth
Emily, thanks for your review. It sounds great, and I agree that I would probably make it more like your variation too. Do you think some beans would be good with this, or would that be too many things going on? I am thinking cannelli.

I think some beans would be a grand addition, but I'd probably add some more of the cooking liquid or more tomatoes to provide more liquid to form more of a sauce to help coat the beans too.

Sami - this recipe is really versatile, IMO. So I think it'd be easy to scale it down to a smaller size. And the left overs were delicious! If only I were closer to share some with you :)

sushibones
12-05-2002, 07:03 PM
emily, it's great to know that you can put in just about anything you want, and it will still be delicious! :D :D

You're my kind of cook, girlfriend! ;) :p

Sami
12-05-2002, 09:00 PM
Emily, I wish you were closer so you could share the dish with me. I, too am glad to know you can add things.

Sami, enjoying the 8" of snow

Beth
12-06-2002, 10:20 PM
Originally posted by emily
I think some beans would be a grand addition, but I'd probably add some more of the cooking liquid or more tomatoes to provide more liquid to form more of a sauce to help coat the beans too.

Thanks. I'm going to give it a try.

wallycat
12-07-2002, 07:29 AM
I made this last night.
YUM.
I'm going to add some shrimp to my leftovers :D

Kismet
12-13-2002, 06:49 AM
Just had to bump this back to the top to say THANK YOU to Emily for posting such a delicious recipe!!! We made it last night for dinner, using some of the suggestions you made and a few tweaks of our own. We used the spinach instead of arugula, turkey bacon for the regular bacon, whole wheat fusilli for the pasta, and canned fire-roasted tomatoes instead of fresh. YUM!!! We also made 1/2 the recipe, and it still made 4 generous servings. I can't wait for the leftovers!!!

donleyk
12-13-2002, 07:44 AM
Just wanted to say thanks for posting this and thanks for the bump up. This looks fabulous.

RebeccaT
12-17-2002, 03:50 PM
Delish!

I made this with all of emily's modifications (except that I used regular fettucine), and it was delicious. It was one of those recipes that tastes better and better the more you eat (which lead to two of us polishing off four servings! :o ) I will definitely make it again, maybe next time with pancetta.

Thanks again, em, for finding this recipe and making it even better! :)

Kayaksoup
01-06-2004, 09:29 PM
Yum. I wish I had made more, because I could eat it:) Really delicious. I went with bacon and whole wheat fettucine. easy to throw together after a drink;)

emily
01-06-2004, 09:46 PM
Originally posted by Kayaksoup
Yum. ... Really delicious. ... easy to throw together after a drink;)

yeah! so glad you liked it. thanks for reminding me of this one :)

i threw together the pasta sauce for the CI eggplant parmesan and used that for tonights' dinner over some ww spaghetti. hopefully, the rest of the sauce will make it into the intended recipe tomorrow :)