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.

15-Minute Beef Stroganoff

An old favorite from my childhood. Found this in my recipe folder on a yellowed piece of scrap paper, in Mom's handwriting, spattered with what I really hope was gravy ;-D

Ingredients
1 pound beef round steak
butter
1 3-oz can (approx 2/3 C) sliced mushrooms with their liquid
2/3 C water
1 envelope beefy-onion dry soup mix
1 C dairy sour cream
2 Tbsp all-purpose flour
6 C cooked egg noodles

Instructions
Trim fat from beef; reserve. Slice beef diagonally across the grain into very thin strips. Heat a large skillet and render the fat from the beef trimmings; remove trimmings leaving melted fat in skillet. Add enough butter to the beef fat in the skillet to make 3 Tbsp. Add the sliced beef and brown.

Stir in mushrooms with their liquid, water, and soup mix, bring to boil. Meanwhile, blend together sour cream and flour. Reduce heat under skillet to low simmer, and gently stir in the sour cream mixture. Simmer gently, stirring constantly, until sauce is smooth and slightly thickened- it will still be runny. Serve hot over cooked egg noodles.

Low-Carb Variation
Omit flour and serve over cooked shredded spaghetti squash. Sauce will be runnier, but it's still yummy!

Veggie & Black Bean Fajitas

I made these tonight for dinner. I used squash & mushrooms, but really, you could use any veggies you have on hand, as long as their flavor is compatible. (Brussels-Sprout Fajitas would prbably be pretty nasty, for example).
Ever since I discovered them, I have been using frozen bell peppers and onions for recipes. Just look for the "bell pepper trio" or "pepper and onion stir-fry" in the frozen vegetable section. It will be a blend of red, yellow, & green bell pepper and onion, cleaned and cut into strips ready for cooking. It's cheaper than fresh red & yellow bell peppers, won't go bad in the produce drawer, and did I mention it's already cleaned and cut? I also buy and use frozen diced onion, and those jars of minced fresh garlic in olive oil. So convenient, less wasteful, not expensive, and lets me use smaller amounts when cooking for 1 or 2 (which is most of the time).

Ingredients:
3 smallish summer squash and/or zucchini, about 2 C when sliced
1 small onion (1/2 C diced or sliced)
2 Tbsb minced garlic
1 C sliced mushrooms (I used re-hydrated dried shitake, but use whatever you've got)
1 C bell pepper strips, any combination red, yellow, & green
1/2 C black beans, canned or home-cooked & drained (I like Trader Joe's Cuban Black Beans)
2 Tbsp fajita spice mix, or 1/2 store-bought packet
3 Tbsb olive oil
Flour or corn tortillas
cheddar or jack cheese
favorite toppings, such as salsa, guacamole, sour cream, etc

Directions:
Cut the squash into quarters, lengthwise, then slice 1/4 inch thick. Heat oil in large skillet over medium-high heat. Add prepared vegetables, mushrooms, onion, garlic, & fajita seasoning; stir to coat everything with the oil and seasoning. Turn heat up to high and cook, turning and stirring only occasionally, until vegetables soften and begin to brown nicely. Do not stir too much, or the delicious browning will not occur and your veggies will be soggy. Add the beans and stir to combine; if beans are juicy allow excess moisture to cook away. Remove from heat and serve with tortillas, cheese, and any desired toppings. For maximum nutrition, use either whole-wheat or flour tortillas, which make a complete protein when eaten with beans.

Carnivorous Additions:
Bacon makes everything better, so add a few slices of cooked, crumbled bacon. Cooked chicken and/or shrimp sauteed in a little more fajita seasoning and olive oil or water will add extra protein & flavor- you won't need much, just a few small pieces per fajita, on top of a hearty helping of veggies.