Who put that pork in my primavera? Pasta

It's the second night of the "what can I make for dinner without going to the store?" game. I don't know who the other contestants are, but I think I'm winning. I had planned to go to the market, I really had; I even put together my list. (Same one I put together a few days ago, matter of fact.) But in the end, I'd had enough of errands after going to IKEA for the bookshelf they didn't have over the weekend and stopping by the North Beach police station so they could sign off on a fix-it ticket. Enough!

Dinner turned out to be pasta primavera...with a few (porky) additions. I almost didn't toss in the bacon, I swear. I even had a moment of reckoning where I thought, "What the hell kind of pork addict am I?" Who am I kidding, right? Of course I threw it in. And some grated aged Gouda, too. Oh boy, was it good.

Bacon-y Pasta Primavera
Serves 2

1/2 lb. pasta, any kind (I used wheat fusilli)
2 slices bacon, diced
1 clove garlic, minced
3 leeks, white parts only, halved and sliced (about 1 cup)
small bunch asparagus, quartered lengthwise and lightly steamed (about 1 cup)
1 cup frozen peas, thawed
1/4 cup grated aged Gouda cheese (Parmesan would be fine, too)
salt and pepper to taste

Prepare the pasta according to package directions. While it's cooking...

...cook the bacon in a large, deep skillet. Remove the bacon with a slotted spoon and let drain on a paper towel. Reserve about 2 TBSP of the fat and drain off the rest. Add the garlic and leeks and saute over medium heat until the leeks are soft, 3-5 minutes. Turn the heat to medium-low and add the asparagus, peas, and bacon and heat through, maybe another 3 minutes.

When the pasta is finished, drain it, reserving a few TBSP of pasta cooking water. Toss the pasta, pasta cooking water, and the cheese in a bowl. Add the vegetables and bacon, toss again, and serve. Season with salt and pepper to taste individually.

Comments

[Jeff Shattuck]

I think the reason you added the pork was that I had nearly gotten killed hunting the pig with nothing more than a Bic pen and maybe you felt a little guilty leaving it out after I had just risked life and limb to get it. Just a theory.

[Catherine]

Yes, thank you for writing down "bacon" on my shopping list last Saturday (those ink stains can be a bitch to get out!).

[sam]

we had pasta privera with pork yesterday too, except we forgot to put the vegetables in so we called it carbonara instead.

I am such a hardcore that I made the pasta myself when I got home from work (using marin sun farm eggs of course). Might I highly recommend the kitchen aid pasta attachments? It is so self satisfying.

[Catherine]

One woman's hardcore is another woman's nutter. The only time I made pasta I had to hang it over the broom handles to dry, and it was nowhere near as good as the store-bought stuff. If the KitchenAid attachment is all I need to make it better, I might consider it, but if technique is involved? Heh.

[sam]

ok - come and try it at mine one day before you invest or I can always lend you my attachements for a couple of weeks