Weekend Foodie: Creamy pasta bake makes for ultimate comfort food
Di's creamy smoky bacon pasta bake.
On a miserable, damp day, there’s nothing like digging into a hot meal straight from the oven - and we might be having a few miserable, damp days over the coming weeks! My main course dish and dessert this week both use the oven, because if you’re going to turn it on, you may as well make the most of it and maximise the energy usage!
First up, a hearty pasta dish full of flavour. Penne is baked with smoky bacon and cream, with lots of cheese and a crispy breadcrumb topping. Dole it out straight from the oven and accompany it with greens of choice or even a bowl of salad, with some crusty sourdough on the side. If you have a veggie household, you won’t want bacon, so add some sliced and sauteed chestnut mushrooms instead. Either way it will be delicious!
Dessert this weekend flips the idea of the chocolate chip biscuit and turns it into a sponge pudding. This is delicious served warm from the oven, with lashings of custard. Or leave it to cool, cut into squares and enjoy a piece with a cup of tea or coffee. The choice is yours! Enjoy these two great winter warmers as November bows out.
- 350g penne pasta
- 4 rashers smoked bacon, chopped into small pieces
- 2 cloves garlic, peeled and crushed
- 300mls cream
- 2 tbsp freshly grated Parmesan cheese, plus extra for topping
- Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
- 2-3 tbsp fresh white breadcrumbs
- 3 tbsp grated mature red cheddar cheese
- Chopped parsley to finish
Method
- Cook pasta in lightly salted boiling water till just al dente.
- While pasta is cooking, heat oil in a large non-stick skillet and fry bacon pieces till crisp and browned. Keep stirring the bacon bits so they brown evenly. Remove pan from heat and set to one side.
- When the pasta is ready, drain and shake well to remove any excess water.
- Add bacon to the pan over medium heat and stir to mix together. Add garlic and cook for a minute.
- Pour over the cream and add Parmesan cheese.
- Stir to mix and bring to bubbling. Season with salt and freshly ground black pepper.
- Spoon the hot pasta and sauce into an ovenproof dish.
- Scatter the top evenly with breadcrumbs. Sprinkle over extra-grated Parmesan and cheddar.
- Pop into a pre-heated oven, Gas 5 375F 190C, for 5 minutes or until top is browned and crisp.
- Sprinkle with chopped parsley and serve immediately, with a salad on the side.
- 175g butter, softened
- 175g sugar
- 225g self-raising flour
- 1 level tsp baking powder
- 3 fresh free-range eggs
- 100g milk chocolate chips
- Splash of milk
- Place butter, sugar, flour, and eggs in the bowl of a food mixer and blend together.
- Fold in the chocolate chips. The mix should be a soft dropping consistency. Add a little splash of milk if it’s too stiff.
- Spoon mix into a lined non-stick 20cm square cake tin.
- Bake at Gas 4 350F 180C (160C for fan assisted), until the mix is risen and firm to the touch.
- Remove from oven and cool slightly.
- Dust with icing sugar, then cut into squares and serve warm with custard. Or leave to cool completely and store in an airtight cake tin.
For a wine match this week, we are looking to Italy to tackle the creamy pasta with its smoky bacon slant. I’ve found a Valpolicella which will do the job nicely. Sartori di Verona Valpolicella Ripasso is not just any old Valpolicella 2016. In the vinification process, this wine has been left for a time on the skins and seeds, which remain after the grapes are pressed. This process adds a deeper and more intense flavour to the wine. Lots of full and voluptuous fruit flavours of damsons and mulberry here, but also a spicy cedary edge from the ageing method. A lot going on in the glass here, so serve it at room temperature, and swirl and sniff before taking a sip. This red makes a handsome partner for this dish, coping well with the heady smoked bacon flavours, the two cheeses and the creamy sauce. Find it at Supervalu stores now, just €10.00 a bottle.
Penne pasta 1kg pack: €1.59
Supervalu Cherrywood dry cured smoked bacon rashers 210g pack: €2.99
Fresh cream 500mls: €2.79
Parmesan cheese 150g pack: €3.49
Mature red cheddar cheese 200g pack: €1.79
Parsley pack: €1.19
Total: €13.84
Butter 227g: €2.39
Sugar 1kg pack: €1.75
Self-raising flour 2kg: €2.55
Free-range eggs half dozen: €2.09
Milk Chocolate Chips 100g: €1.10
Total: €9.88
App?
