I want to make this tonight, but the local grocery store didn’t have fresh basil (I guess I assume he’s using fresh), so how many tbsp of dried should I use? I know fresh would taste much better but it just wasn’t an option. Also it says to add the basil in at the end with the bacon, since I have to use dried, should I add it with the tomatoes so it has time to draw out the basil?
Bacon & Tomato Pasta
* 2 tablespoons kosher salt
* 16 ounces spaghetti pasta
* 1 pound thick-cut bacon or pancetta, chopped
* 3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
* 1 cup red onion, diced
* 1 teaspoon red chili flakes
* 3 tablespoons garlic, minced
* 2 cups Roma tomatoes, diced
* 1/4 cup red wine * 4 tablespoons basil, chiffonade
* 1/4 cup freshly grated Parmesan
* Salt and freshly ground black pepper
In a large stock pot, boil 3 quarts of water, when boiling add 2 tablespoons kosher salt and the pasta and cook until the pasta is al dente.
In a large saute pan over medium heat, add bacon and saute until bacon is crispy. Remove bacon to drain on a paper towel-lined plate and remove 3/4 of the bacon fat from the pan. Add extra-virgin olive oil, onions, and red chili flakes. Cook until onions are translucent, add garlic, cook for 2 minutes then add tomatoes. Saute for 5 minutes, then deglaze with wine.
Drain pasta and add to the tomato mixture pan. Add basil and bacon. Toss with Parmesan, and add salt and pepper, to taste.
Thanks so much! I was actually able to find chopped, basil, but it’s in a jar in some kind of liquid (like those jars of minced garlic). Would that be better than the dried and how much should I use? If so, should I add it in at the end like the recipe calls for? They also had fresh parsley so I bought some of that and thought I would throw some of that in at the end as well. Bad idea? Any help is greatly appreciated.
Inasmuch, as the fresh basil would of been chiffonade cut (long thin strips), and then added at the end, is probably to keep it from mingling with the other flavors too much. I would suggest using the chopped basil to flavor the parsley in a small marinade, then add the parsley at the end with the bacon. Actually, if ya’ have some fresh spinach, I’d blend that with the chopped basil, and then chiffonade the spinach and add at the end. I’ve used chopped basil from on of those little jars, and just like dried, its a might stronger. Which means it should work great to flavor either parsley or spinach.
Good luck…
Ha, ha - it’s funny you brought that up (spinach). I thought about that when I was at the store, but one person coming over is allergic to spinach (or so she said). So I should just chiffonade the parsley and mix it up with the basil? Anything else? Sorry about all the questions, I’m kind of a newbie to cooking.
You really can’t chiffonade parsley, just mix the leaves intact, and mix with the chopped basil.
That little jar of chopped basil I had was in some oil, which had the basil kinda infused in it (and the basil was quite limp), so use some to help coat the parsley as well.
Just to let ya’ know, I’m not certain how it will turn out, but it should have a better chance than adding dried basil too soon.
