Rachael Rays BLT Pasta

All you Rachael Ray haters dont know what you are missing!  Look how beautiful this pasta dish is! I made this dish for my parents this weekend and they loved it.  It has a delicious crunchy topping that I couldnt get enough of.  You can use any type of pasta you like, Rachael used Farfalle but I used Rigatoni.  Its so easy and its a spin off of a BLT - Bacon, Lettuce and Tomato.  Instead of lettuce the recipe called for Arugula but if thats too spicy or bitter for you, I think spinach would be a fine substitute.

Turns out that due to the excessive cold weather tomatoes are hard to come by so supermarkets are jacking up the price.  My mom and I were in shock when we saw a little pint of grape tomatoes was $5!  Thats double to the usual price.  Dont worry, we made it work with canned cherry tomatoes.  I never saw them canned before but they were so cute!  I added a sprinkle of sugar to the sauce to help sweeten them up and the taste was great!  You never would have known that the recipe was altered in any way.

BLT Pasta

by Rachael Ray

As seen on The Rachael Ray Show. 

Serves 4-6 (If you are using Rigatoni, this recipe will only serve 4)

Ingredients:

EVOO – Extra Virgin Olive Oil, for drizzling, plus 2 tablespoons
12 slices good quality smoky bacon, cut into half-inch dice
1 1/2 cups panko breadcrumbs
A handful of flat-leaf parsley, chopped
A couple of generous handfuls grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese
1 small red onion, finely chopped
4 cloves garlic, chopped or grated
A pinch crushed red pepper flakes
2 pints cherry tomatoes
Salt and pepper
1 pound bowtie pasta
4 cups arugula, a couple of bundles, coarsely chopped
1 cup basil leaves, about 20 leaves, torn or coarsely chopped



Directions:

Heat a drizzle of EVOO in a skillet over medium to medium-high heat. Add bacon and brown to crisp. Remove to plate to drain. Add Panko crumbs to the pan with the bacon drippings and toast to golden brown. Add parsley and a couple of handfuls of grated cheese. Toss to combine, turn off heat and reserve the crumbs.

Heat 2 tablespoons EVOO in a large skillet with tight-fitting lid over medium heat. Add onions and garlic, and cook to soften, 3-4 minutes, stirring frequently. Add red pepper and cherry tomatoes. Season with salt and pepper, and cover pan tightly with lid. Cook, shaking occasionally, until tomatoes begin to burst, about 8 minutes. Remove cover and gently mash up the tomatoes a bit with a wooden spoon.

Meanwhile, bring a pot of water to a boil for pasta. Salt water and cook bowties to al dente. Just before draining, add a cup of the starchy liquid to the cherry tomato sauce. Drain pasta.

Add arugula and basil to the tomato sauce, along with the reserved bacon and drained bowties. Season with black pepper and salt, and toss to combine. Garnish bowls of pasta with the seasoned crumbs and serve.

Click here for a printable version of BLT Pasta.

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Rachael Rays Chili Mac

It was another cold day here in New Jersey and I needed something to warm me up. I had a pound of ground sirloin defrosting in the fridge but wasnt sure what I wanted to make with it. I didnt want to make soup because I have photos of Escarole and Mini Meatball soup that I still havent blogged about. After some internet searching I found a recipe from Rachael Ray for Chili Mac. There was only one ingredient that I didnt have which was Jalapeño peppers. That didnt stop me because I knew I had chipoltle hot sauce in the fridge and that would provide enough heat that this chili needed.

This recipe makes a lot (8 servings) so I have halved it so I would have enough for me and Steve and some leftovers for lunch. I have more than enough for lunch so I will be sharing that with my coworkers (taste testers!). Im very happy with the way it came out. I wish I had some Mexican cheese to add to my dish but I didnt so I did sprinkle a little Romano. I know, I know, its not an Italian dish but I was desperate. Its hard for me to eat any pasta without cheese!

Besides using only one pound of meat and half pound of pasta these are the changes and additions that I made. Did not use the Jalapeños but used 1/2 red bell pepper (because I had it) and a few shakes of chipolte sauce. I didnt use another hot sauce like Rachael uses but did add some smoked paprika, additional chili powder and adobo seasoning. Season this however you would normally season your chili. I dont measure the seasonings I just taste and adjust. I used two cans of diced tomatoes and broke them up with my wooden spoon as they cooked. With the amount of meat and pasta I had adding crushed tomatoes would make this dish too saucy for me. I wish I had scallions for garnish but I just finished my scallions a couple of days ago.

Here is the recipe in its original form which could be found on the Food Network Website.


Ingredients:

1 pound corkscrew shaped pasta with lines or elbows with lines
2 pounds ground sirloin
2 tablespoons (2 turns around the pan in a slow stream) extra-virgin olive oil
1 sweet onion, chopped
2 jalapeno peppers, seed and chopped
4 cloves garlic, chopped
3 tablespoons (1 1/2 palm fuls) dark chili powder
2 tablespoons (1 palm ful) cumin
2 tablespoons cayenne pepper sauce
Coarse salt
1 cup beer or beef broth
1 (28-ounce) can diced tomatoes in juice
1 (14-ounce) can crushed tomatoes
Chopped scallions, for garnish
Directions
In a large pot, boil pasta until al dente.

Meanwhile, in a big, deep pot, brown beef in oil over medium high heat. Add onions, peppers, and garlic. Season meat mixture with chili powder, cumin, cayenne, and salt. Cook together 5 minutes, stir in beer or broth, and reduce liquid by half, 2 minutes. Stir in tomatoes and simmer for 10 minutes.

Drain pasta. Add hot pasta to chili pot and stir to coat pasta evenly. Remove from heat and garnish big bowlfuls of chili mac with chopped scallions.

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