Bacon Pasta Bake
If you spend any amount of time with Italian chefs you're bound to pick this one up sooner or later.
I sometimes bake this in a sprung cake tin, then when it comes to service I simply remove the cake tin and serve the pasta as a baked cake which I allow my guests to help themselves to.
Serves 4
Ingredients
450g / 1lb pasta of your choice (penne, spirals etc)
3 cloves garlic
1 large onion
110g / 4oz bacon
(smoked if possible!)
85g /3oz button mushrooms
1/4 cup of fresh herbs (sage, oregano, parsley, basil etc)
4 eggs
55ml / 2fl oz cream
110ml / 4fl oz milk
55g / 2oz parmesan cheese
Sea salt and cracked black pepper
Mise-en-Place:
Preheat the oven to gas mark 4 / 180°C / 350°F
Line a deep roasting tray (or cake tin) with baking parchment or simply grease with butter then line the dish with a little flour for an easy, non-stick surface
Bring a large saucepan of lightly salted water to the boil. Add 1-2 tablespoons of oil to the water
Slice the onion, bacon and mushrooms
Chop the garlic and fresh herbs
Grate the cheese
Mix the cream, milk and eggs together. Season this liquid mix with a little sea salt and cracked black pepper
Method:
Cook the pasta:
Place the pasta in the pre-prepared boiling water. Cook the pasta until it is 'al dente' this is when the pasta is cooked yet when bitten still retains texture and a little bite (remember that when you cook pasta you want to taste and feel each piece, you do not want to be eating baby food) The pasta will take between 5-10 minutes to cook to 'al dente'.
When the pasta is cooked drain it, then refresh the pasta beneath cold water. (This is to prevent any further cooking and also to wash away any excess starch)
Set the pasta aside
Prepare the bacon mix:
In a frying pan over a medium to high heat:
Add the bacon and stir until cooked through. Remove the bacon but leave the fats in the saucepan. Return pan to the heat
Add the garlic and cook until lightly browned
Add onion before the garlic colours too much and 'brown off'
Add the mushrooms, cook until soft (3-4 minutes)
Remove the pan from the heat
Bring the dish together:
Mix all of the ingredients together
Pour into the prepared roasting tray
Bake in the oven for 30 minutes
The pasta bake is done when the surface has browned and the inside is moist but no longer wet
Remove from oven
Serve
Presentation:
Serving pasta bake with the intent of fine presentation can be a tricky thing. Either cut the pasta into rectangles or use a pastry cutter or mould to cut portions from the tray
Remember that this is a rustic dish so serve simply and humbly
Chef Insight : Different types of pasta are made the world over. Documentation indicates that the chinese were making noodles and pastas from as early 300 - 200BC. The italians were a little slower at picking up this culinary delight and didn't start producing it until circa 1200AD
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