Friday 1 August 2008

Recipe - Spaghetti with bacon, garlic and shallots


Yup, this is my first proper effort in my new kitchen. I'm afraid that it's not very exciting, I didn't really push the boat out this time. Trust me though, the boat will soon be pushed out so far that you won't see land for weeks! ;)

Some times simple is good - and this time simple was damned good. If I dare say so myself!

Just remember, good ingredients can make the simplest food taste great. Bad ingredients can make the nicest sounding recipe ending up tasting like something you get in a Toby Carvery. Take parmesan for example, pre-grated parmesan taste like what your old gym shoes used to smell like. Freshly grated, good quality, parmesan though... It's like night and day...

Ingredients (served me)
Spaghetti
Shallots, chopped - to taste
Garlic, finely sliced - to taste
Smoked streaky bacon, cut into small pieces - to taste, I used about 6 rashers
Salt
Pepper
Parmesan
Olive oil
Fresh Basil leafs, cut into strips - Chiffonade

Method
Start by boiling up some water with salt. Then proceed to boil the spaghetti as per the instructions on the packet. I normally go for al dente, and mine tasted good so why don't you go for the same?

In the meantime, drop some olive oil into a frying pan and slowly fry the shallot and garlic just until going golden. Take them out of the pan and save for later.

Turn the heat down a notch and slowly fry the bacon pieces, you don't really want it to go crispy this time.

Once the spaghetti are done to your liking, drain thoroughly.

Put the spaghetti in together with the bacon and add shallots and garlic. Saute for a little while, adding most of the basil towards the end.

Plate up, garnish with some freshly ground black pepper, the rest of the basil and a liberal amount of freshly grated parmesan.

Enjoy!

4 comments:

  1. Hiya. Nice foodblog, I like your pics.
    If you happen to need advice about spaghetti, feel free to contact me on my blog :) No one cooks spaghetti better than a true Italian girl ;)
    Joking, I like this recipe.

    Bye!
    Martha

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  2. This recipe sounds fantastic! I agree, fresh parmesan is always best. Every one of your posts looks delicious and good luck organizing your kitchen.

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  3. Welcome to the Foodie Blog Roll! Oh how I miss streaky bacon. I lived in England for a while myself. Your spaghetti looks lovely. I agree that the simple recipes are often the best.

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// Mike