September keeps me busy with lots of tomatoes of varying sizes, flavors and hues. By the time the month is at its end, I'm roasting pans of them and setting aside the results in the freezer to enjoy a taste of summer when the winter snows are at their worst. There are days when I'll simply slice open a ripe, juicy tomato, sprinkle it with a little salt and enjoy it right alongside the vine I've picked it from.
Other days, I want a simple recipe that really lets the tomatoes shine. That's what my goal was with this month's recipe. Cherry tomatoes are super sweet by their nature. However, cooking them brings out even more sweetness and adds an extra dimension to them. In this recipe, they form the foundation of a truly simple sauce for pasta. Adding some bacon and other veggies rounds ut the pasta and gives the dish great flavor. A sprinkling of cheese is all that's needed to finish the dish. A fresh side salad and some bread makes it a meal. Add a glass of fine wine and it becomes a celebration of summer. Here's to the last days of it!
Tomato & Bacon Pasta
- 1 lb. pasta -- choose your favorite variety
- 12 oz. bacon -- chopped
- 2 cloves garlic -- minced
- 2 c. cherry tomatoes
- 1/2 c. sliced green onions
- 4 c. chopped kale
- 2 oz. Parmesan cheese -- shredded
Prepare the pasta according to the package directions.
Meanwhile, fry the bacon until crisp. Remove the bacon to a dish lined with paper towels. Add the garlic and cherry tomatoes to the rendered bacon fat and sauté over medium high heat until the garlic and tomatoes are both softened. Add the green onions and kale. Lower the heat to low and cover the pan. Cook for 5 minutes. Toss the veggies and crumbled bacon with the prepared pasta and sprinkle with shredded cheese before serving.
- Yields: 6-8 servings
- Preparation Time: 20 minutes