Saturday, August 27, 2011

Trattoria Brown - BLT Pasta Salad

Okay, confession time. This pasta is not actually a BLT, but it's pretty close. There's bacon and tomato, but lettuce is not to be found. Instead, basil takes its place. Honestly, on almost every level, this dish shouldn't work, but it somehow does. In fact, it's one of our son's favorites. And whatever satisfies the child satisfies the parents.

Ingredients

1/2 pound pasta (penne or shells work well)
5 medium tomatoes, seeded and chopped
5 strips bacon, sliced
10 to 15 leaves basil, chopped
1/2 cup mayonnaise
Parmigiano reggiano, to taste

Directions

Place pot with plenty of hot water and salt over high heat. Render bacon in a medium sauté pan over medium high heat until the bacon begins to crisp (about 5 minutes). While bacon is rendering, mix the basil, tomatoes, and mayonnaise in a large mixing bowl. Let stand. When the bacon is finished, place on a paper towel to whisk away excess fat.

When water is boiling, insert pasta and cook according to the directions on the box. When the pasta is cooked, place in a colander and wash with cold water until completely cooled. Remove excess water, and place in mixing bowl with the mayonnaise, basil, and tomatoes. Add bacon, and stir until fully incorporated. Microplane on some parmigiano reggiano and enjoy.

Here's what the finished product will look like. Like I said, before, this shouldn't work, but it does. And, perhaps the best thing about this is if you time it correctly, the dish takes approximately fifteen minutes start to finish.

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