Bowties with Smoked Almond Sauce, Bacon, Lettuce and Tomatoes
- 4Servings
Ingredients
- Salt and pepper
- 1 pound bowtie pasta
- About 1/3 cup extra-virgin olive oil
- 12 slices good-quality smoky bacon (Oscars Adirondack Mountain Smoke House is back!oscarssmokedmeats.com), cut into 1/2-inch pieces)
- 1 bunch flat-leaf parsley, trimmed (about 2 cups loosely packed)
- A couple of generous handfuls grated parmigiano-reggiano cheese
- 3 - 4 tablespoons smoked almonds (a generous handful)
- 1 clove garlic, grated
- 1 pint cherry tomatoes or multicolored baby heirloom
- 1/2 small red onion, finely chopped
- 1 head bibb or butter lettuce, leaves separated and torn
Preparation
Bring a large pot of water to a boil, salt it, add the pasta and cook until al dente. Drain, reserving a ladleful of the pasta cooking water.
Meanwhile, heat a drizzle of EVOO in a skillet over medium-high heat. Add the bacon and brown to crisp up; transfer to a plate to drain.
Place the parsley, cheese, almonds and garlic in a food processor and pulse to finely chop. Pour in about 1/3 cup EVOO and process to form a thick pesto. Scrape into a large, shallow bowl with the tomatoes and onion; season with salt and pepper. Stir in the reserved pasta cooking water.
Add the pasta to the pesto mixture and toss with the lettuce and bacon.
