Spicy Bucatini with Bacon Recipe

This is a tasty recipe that I have modified for the "servant-less" kitchen and the fact that pancetta costs 4 times more than the tastiest of meats known as bacon.  Like Homer, I'm amazed that bacon, ham and pork all come from one magical animal.  This recipe is perfect for any Pastafarian:

Spicy Bucatini with Bacon

This recipe makes two dinner size portions as a main entree or 4 portions as a side.  I'd suggest serving this with a glass of Chianti and a great starter prior to this is my White Cannelini Bean soup.  This recipe takes about 45 minutes to make and is best served immediately.  You can roast the tomatoes and bacon earlier in the day if necessary.  

Spicy Bucatini with Bacon
Ingredients:
	2 Cups Cherry/Grape Tomatoes halved
	2 TBSP Olive Oil
	1 Pinch Pepper
	4 Strips of Sodium Reduced Bacon
	2 Cloves Garlic minced
	1/2 TSP Hot Pepper Flakes
	6 Kalamata Olives, pitted and Coarsely Chopped
	6oz (170grams) Bucatini Pasta
	2 TSBP Coarsely Chopped Fresh Basil
	1 TBSP Grated Parmesan Cheese
Steps:
	1) Pre-Heat oven to 325 Degrees.
	2) In a small bowl, toss together tomatoes, olive oil and pinch of pepper.
	3) Place tomatoes cut side up on foil lined baking sheet (or non-stick) and bake tomatoes for 25 minutes until shriveled and starting to brown.
	4) Meanwhile, boil a large pot of salted water and add pasta approx 10 minutes before tomatoes are expected to be ready.
	5) In a non-stick fry pan, cook bacon over medium high heat until crisp about 6 minutes.  Remove bacon and set aside.
	6) Drain excess bacon grease.  Add garlic, black olives and chili flakes.  Cook for 2 minutes until fragrant.
	7) Combine fry pan with drained pasta, and roast tomatoes.  Toss in basil.
	8) Split pasta on two dishes.  Sprinkle with bacon and Parmesan cheese.

Substitutions:

• The original recipe calls for 3 oz of pancetta diced.  Bacon works fine and cost 1/4 of the price.  Pancetta is salted and smoked pork belly.  
• You can add another 1/4 tsp of chili flakes if you prefer the dish hot rather than a medium spice.
• I tried this recipe with Penne once and it worked.  But, I would use Bucatini or Tagliatelle as my second choice.  Bucatini I have found both at Longo's and Loblaws, but prior to this recipe I never had it before.

Ingredients for Spicy Bucatini with Bacon

Step 2 - Getting Tomatoes ready to Roast 

Step 2 and 5 - Frying the Bacon and Tomatoes Ready to go in the Oven

Measuring the amount of Bucatini Pasta Required

Step 6 - Frying Chili Flakes, Black Olives and Minced Garlic.

Step 7 - Finishing the Pasta

Step 8 - Pasta plated and served.

What I learned:

• Pasta need not have a tomato or cream sauce.  Roasted vegetables and other toppings can beautifully punctuate pasta.
• Olives taste best packed in oil and out of jar.  Canned olives have a tinny taste and a different texture.  Further, olives in a jar taste better if you pit them yourself, rather than get pre-sliced.  Oxo sells for reasonable price a cherry and olive pitter that is dishwasher friendly.
• A kitchen scale is great for measuring quantities by weight (grams, ounces and lbs.) Make sure it has a tare function.