Re: USCHO Cooks: Allez Cuisine!
Penne with Bacon, Butternut Squash and Spinach
1 lb Penne Rigate Pasta
6 slices thick bacon
2 Tbsp Olive oil
1 butternut squash peeled, cut into 3/4 in cubes
3 c baby spinach
2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
3 Tbsp flat leaf parsley, chopped
S&P
1/4 c parmesan cheese
Cook pasta for 7 minutes (this will only partially cook pasta)
Drain, reserving 2 1/2 C of pasta cooking H2O
Meanwhile, in extra large skillet cook bacon - med high heat- until crisp. Drain on paper towels, then crumble
Save 3Tbsp bacon fat in the pan.
Add olive oil and squash to skillet, cook, stirring occ. until browned (abt 7 min)
Add the pasta and 2c reserved H2O, bring to boil and cook until squash and pasta are cooked, using extra H2) as needed- about 5 minutes.
Remove from heat and add spinach, parsley and garlic. Season with S&P
Top with bacon and parmesan cheese
I made all the pasta but only used 1/2 in recipe.
Yummy, made a boatload, even with half the pasta.
Sounds fantastic - something my mom and I would love and that I *might* be able to convince tcbg to try.
Getting my recipes together for Thursday. I am in charge of vidalia onion pie and potato leek soup and some sort of light, snacky cookie/brownie. I have the pie and soup recipes ready to go, but am drawing a blank on a simple, but tasty cookie.
Onion pie recipe
here
Soup recipe:
3lbs russet potatoes, scrubbed
2tbsp of butter
3 c. diced onion
3 c. sliced leeks
1 tsp coarse salt
4 c. heavy cream
4 c. whole milk
1/4 tsp. black pepper
(I am planning to substitute 2 cups of cooked white/great northern beans for some of the cream and chicken broth for some of the milk. Will be frying up some bacon and then adding the grease to the stock pot in which I cook the onions and leeks. Will use bacon for garnish (or snack).)
1. Preheat oven to 375.
2. Bake potatoes for 90 minutes, set aside to cook.
3. Melt butter in a large stockpot over medium heat (or use bacon/butter mix). Add onions and leeks. Season with salt and stir to evenly coat. Cook, stirring occasionally, until onion is soft and leeks are translucent, about 10 minutes). Add cream and 3 cups of milk and bring to just a simmer.
4. Cut potatoes in half and scoop flesh into stock pot. discard skins (or fill with sour cream and bacon and eat as snack). Add remaining 1/2 tsp. salt. Stir until soup is combined. Working in batches, puree soup in a blender until smooth (no longer than 5 seconds). (I will be using my stick blender that I got for Christmas last year as it makes WAY less mess.) Pour soup through a sieve into a large bowl, pressing solids. Discard solids. If needed, add remaining milk to soup, a bit at a time, until desired consistency. season with pepper.
5. Serve
(Do not overblend or soup becomes like wallpaper paste).
Recipe modified from 2010 EPCOT Food and Wine Festival Cookbook, though my mom and I have been making similar soup for years.
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