My god, is this pasta – a variation on a recipe called “Crack Pasta” submitted by reader Luisa – ever good. I made it for Kendrick and myself last night, and at 11PM I was still sort of pacing back and forth between couch and refrigerator, eating bits and pieces out of our Tupperware with my fingers. Since I’ve modified the recipe somewhat over time, I thought this bore a repeat what you need/what you do.
What you need:
1 small yellow onion, finely diced
1/2 cup lean bacon, diced
3/4 cup white wine
1/2 tsp garlic powder
1 large can crushed tomatoes (I like Redpack)
1 box pasta (I used farfalle, but whatever kind you like is fine, as long as it’s on the substantial side – no spaghetti or angel hair)
1 package steam-in-bag peas
1/4 cup heavy cream
Salt & pepper
What you do:
1. In a heavy-bottomed saucepan over medium heat, saute the onion and bacon in olive oil until the bacon is crispy and the onions are translucent, adding in the garlic powder halfway through. Depending on the size of the bacon pieces, you may want to add them a little in advance of the onions so they get crispy enough.
2. Add the white wine to the saucepan and turn up the heat. Let the wine cook down a bit, until the smell of alcohol is more or less gone.
3. Add the tomatoes to the saucepan. Season to taste (you can add a little sugar, a little thyme, or whatever else floats your boat) and give everything a good stir. Turn down the heat and let simmer about 20 minutes.
4. Meanwhile, cook your pasta and steam your peas according to package directions.
5. Stir the heavy cream into the sauce, adjust seasoning as needed. Add the peas, and toss everything together with the drained pasta.
Kate Spade plate.
