Shrimp Pasta with Bacon, Rosemary, & Tomatoes

Delicious bacon-y, garlicky, shrimp pasta

This recipe started with a Saveur recipe for Shrimp with Pancetta and Rosemary. I didn't have pancetta, but I had bacon. I didn't have a whole tomato, but I had half a container of grape tomatoes slightly past their prime. And I wanted pasta to make it more of a whole entree. Actually, I pretty much always want pasta.

Start by cooking up 8oz of diced bacon in a skillet until it's nice and crispy:

Like this:

Take the bacon out of the pan, and discard all but about a tablespoon of the bacon fat. Add about two tablespoons of olive oil, heat the pan back up, and throw in four cloves of minced garlic. Let that garlic juuuust start to turn golden, no more than this:

Season some peeled, deviened, cut-in-half medium shrimp with salt and pepper, and toss them with the garlic until they turn pink all over:

Add some grape tomotoes, cut in halves or quarters (depending on how big they are), a half-cup of white wine, and some minced fresh rosemary if you've got it- or dried rosemary if you don't. It'll look like way too much liquid:

But after about 2-3 minutes it cooks down into a nice sauce, so add some cooked pasta:

And that bacon you started with:

And toss it all together:

Don't forget Parmesan cheese over top!

Ingredients

1/4 pound dry spaghetti (or other long pasta)
8oz bacon, diced
2 Tbsp olive oil, plus 1 tsp
4 cloves garlic, minced
18 medium shrimp, peeled & de-veined & cut in half (or 36 tiny shrimp, whole)
salt & pepper to taste
1 1/2 tsp minced fresh rosemary (or 3/4 tsp dried crushed rosemary)
1 C grape tomatoes, quartered
1/2 C white wine
grated Parmesan cheese, for topping

Directions

Cook the dry pasta according to package directions, drain, & toss w/ 1 tsp olive oil. Return to pot to keep warm while you make the shrimp to go with it.

Saute the bacon in a 12-inch skillet until crisp and the fat has rendered. Remove the bacon to paper-towel-lined plate. Discard all but 1 Tbsp of the bacon fat; add 2 Tbsp olive oil to the remaining bacon fat & return the skillet to medium heat. Add the garlic & stir constantly until garlic softens and begins to turn slightly golden- don't overcook it or the garlic will turn bitter! Season the shrimp with the salt and pepper and add them to the skillet. Cook about 2 minutes, until the shrimp turn pink all over. Add the rosemary, tomatoes, & wine and cook 2-3 more minutes until the liquid reduces by about half. Add the cooked pasta and bacon to the skillet and toss to combine. Sprinkle generously with Parmesan cheese to serve.

Deep Dish Pizza (Veggie Version)

See also Meaty Deep-Dish Pizza. I often make one of each.
Ingredients
Crust

• 1 C water
• 1/4 C olive or vegetable oil
• 1 1/2 Tbsp sugar
• 2 1/4 tsp salt
• 3 1/2 tsp active dry yeast
• 1/2 C lukewarm water
• 3/4 C cornmeal
• 2 C all-purpose flour
• 1 1/2 C whole wheat flour

Sauce

• 2 28-oz cans Italian style diced tomatoes, drained
• 1 large onion, chopped
• 1 small green bell pepper, chopped
• 1 small red bell pepper, chopped
• 1 1/2 tsp oregano
• 1 tsp fennel seed
• 1 tsp salt
• 1/2 tsp black pepper ground
• 4 Tbsp olive oil

Filling

• 4 Tbsp olive oil
• 2 medium onions, cut into thin strips
• 4 cloves garlic, minced
• 2 C sliced portabella mushrooms
• 1 1/2 tsp basil
• salt & pepper to taste
• 2 boxes chopped spinach
• 4 C mozzarella cheese, shredded
• 1 C Feta cheese, crumbled
• 1 C Parmesan cheese, shredded

Instructions
For crust:
In work bowl of a stand mixer fitted with dough hook, combine dry ingredients. With mixer running on medium-slow speed, drizzle oil in a slow stream and mix until combined. Add water in a slow stream, only as fast as flour can absorb, until dough forms and begins to clean the sides of the bowl. Increase speed and knead for several minutes until smooth and elastic. Dough may be quite soft, but if it is too sticky knead in a bit more all-purpose flour. If it is too stiff, and more water, a small splash at a time. Remove the dough hook and gather the dough into a ball. Allow to rest about 5 minutes. Meanwhile, preheat oven to 425° and prepare 2 12-inch round deep-dish pizza pans. If using stoneware bakers, no preparation is needed. If using metal pans, brush with oil. When dough has rested, divide in half and press evenly over bottoms and up sides of the pans. Prick all over with a fork. Bake in preheated 425° oven for 5 minutes
For sauce:
In large skillet, saute onion, peppers, herbs, and spices in olive oil until peppers and onion are tender. Stir in well-drained tomatoes & mushrooms. Cook lightly, then remove from heat.
For filling:
In a large skillet, heat the olive oil. Saute the onion and garlic until clear. Add the mushrooms, salt, pepper, and basil and continue to saute, until the mushrooms are softened. Meanwhile, thaw the spinach in a colander under running water, then squeeze out the excess water with your hands. Squeeze again, one handful at a time, until the spinach is as dry as you can make it. Add the squeezed spinach to the skillet and stir, breaking up the clumps to thoroughly combine all ingredients. When the spinach mixture is hot through and fragrant, remove from heat.
To assemble:
For each pizza, sprinkle just a scant handful of mozzerella in the bottom of the pre-baked crust. Next, spread half the spinach mixture evenly into the pizza crust. Sprinkle the spinach layer evenly with half the feta, then cover with a layer of half the remaining mozzarella. Spread with a layer of half the sauce. Top with half the Parmesan. Use the second half of the ingredients to assemble the second pizza. Bake the pizzas 20-30 minutes in at 425° oven, or until bubbly and golden-brown.

Deep Dish Pizza (Meaty Version)

See also Veggie Deep-Dish Pizza. I often make one of each.
Ingredients
Crust

• 1 C water
• 1/4 C olive or vegetable oil
• 1 1/2 Tbsp sugar
• 2 1/4 tsp salt
• 3 1/2 tsp active dry yeast
• 1/2 C lukewarm water
• 3/4 C cornmeal
• 2 C all-purpose flour
• 1 1/2 C whole wheat flour

Sauce

• 2 28-oz cans Italian style diced tomatoes, drained
• 1 large onion, chopped
• 1 small green bell pepper, chopped
• 1 small red bell pepper, chopped
• 1 1/2 tsp oregano
• 1 tsp fennel seed
• 1 tsp salt
• 1/2 tsp black pepper ground
• 4 Tbsp olive oil

Fillings

• 2 C mushrooms, sliced
• 1 lb mild Italian sausage, cooked & sliced
• 1/2 lb pepperoni, sliced or diced
• 4 C mozzarella cheese, shredded
• 1 C Parmesan cheese, shredded

Instructions
For crust:
In work bowl of a stand mixer fitted with dough hook, combine dry ingredients. With mixer running on medium-slow speed, drizzle oil in a slow stream and mix until combined. Add water in a slow stream, only as fast as flour can absorb, until dough forms and begins to clean the sides of the bowl. Increase speed and knead for several minutes until smooth and elastic. Dough may be quite soft, but if it is too sticky knead in a bit more all-purpose flour. If it is too stiff, and more water, a small splash at a time. Remove the dough hook and gather the dough into a ball. Allow to rest about 5 minutes. Meanwhile, preheat oven to 425° and prepare 2 12-inch round deep-dish pizza pans. If using stoneware bakers, no preparation is needed. If using metal pans, brush with oil. When dough has rested, divide in half and press evenly over bottoms and up sides of the pans. Prick all over with a fork. Bake in preheated 425° oven for 5 minutes
For sauce:
In large skillet, saute onion, peppers, herbs, and spices in olive oil until peppers and onion are tender. Stir in well-drained tomatoes & mushrooms. Cook lightly, then remove from heat.
To assemble:
For each pizza, arrange half the sliced sausage and half the pepperoni in the bottom of the pre-baked crust. Cover with a layer of half the mozzarella, then spread a layer of half the sauce. Top with half the Parmesan. Use the second half of the ingredients to assemble the second pizza. Bake the pizzas 20-30 minutes in at 425° oven, or until bubbly and golden-brown.

Italian Chicken Thighs(Slow-Cooker)

Great over pasta (such as spinach fettuccine) or garlicky smashed potatoes.

Ingredients
12 skinless bone-in chicken thighs, about 3 lbs
1 14.5-oz can Italian-style diced tomatoes
1 6-oz can tomato paste
1/2 C chopped onion
1 Tbsp minced garlic
1 tsp Italian seasoning
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper

Instructions
Combine all ingredients except chicken and stir well. Place chicken in slow cooker; pour sauce over chicken. Cover and cook on high 1 hour, reduce to low and cook 4-5 hours more. Remove chicken pieces, and use a fork to pull meat from bones. Return chicken meat to sauce and stir to re-combine. Serve over pasta or garlicky smashed potatoes. 6 servings.

Faux Chicken Cacciatore (slow-cooker version)

A ridiculously easy faux-cacciatore recipe for when you are really time-crunched, or lazy. The deliciousness is directly correlated with the quality and flavor of the sauce you use.
Bone-in chicken pieces can also be used, but you will have to fish them out of the pot when done, cut/pull the meat off the bones, and return the meat to the pot. Pull off the skin before cooking, or the result will be quite greasy.
This recipe is an excellent use for frozen bell pepper strips, often sold with onions as "pepper stir fry blend"

Ingredients
1-2 lbs boneless chicken breasts or tenderloins
1/3 C chopped onion
1/3 C bell pepper, chopped (or 1/2 C strips)
3 C or 1 large jar of very yummy spaghetti sauce

Ridiculously Easy Directions
Add onions and peppers to bottom of slow cooker, then chicken, then pour sauce over all. Cook on low 7-9 hours or on high 4-5 hours. Serve over pasta, with salad & garlic bread.