Italians often use pancetta or guanciale in pasta sauces. Northern European or American-style smoked bacon is much rarer, but will works well here.
Prep Time: 15 minutes
Cook Time: 20 minutes
Total Time: 35 minutes
Yield: 4 servings elbow macaroni
Ingredients:
- 3/4 pound (320 g) elbow macaroni, small pasta shells or similar
- 1 cup (250 ml) thick tomato sauce, for example this one
- 3 ounces (90 g) smoked scamorza cheese (if need be substitute smoked jack cheese or similar), shredded
- 3 ounces (90 g) bacon, diced
- 2 tablespoons (20 g) unsalted butter
- A few needles of fresh rosemary, minced, and a few more left whole
- Salt and pepper to taste
Preparation:
Set pasta water to boil. When it does, salt it and cook the pasta.
In the meantime, heat the tomato sauce in a broad skillet, stirring in the butter when it is warm. Season lightly with salt and an abundance of freshly ground pepper.
Heat a non-stick skillet and crisp the bacon with the chopped rosemary needles.
When the pasta has just barely reached the al dente stage drain it and turn it into the skillet with the tomato sauce. Stir in the shredded cheese and the crisped bacon. Garnish with the unchopped rosemary leaves and serve at once.
The wine? I'd go with a light red, for example a young (i.e. unoaked) Montepulciano d'Abruzzo
In the meantime, heat the tomato sauce in a broad skillet, stirring in the butter when it is warm. Season lightly with salt and an abundance of freshly ground pepper.
Heat a non-stick skillet and crisp the bacon with the chopped rosemary needles.
When the pasta has just barely reached the al dente stage drain it and turn it into the skillet with the tomato sauce. Stir in the shredded cheese and the crisped bacon. Garnish with the unchopped rosemary leaves and serve at once.
The wine? I'd go with a light red, for example a young (i.e. unoaked) Montepulciano d'Abruzzo
