This is my pasta entry for  Presto Pasta Nights…which I remembered this week.  This week’s host is Pam of Sidewalk Shoes.

This week I made a penne with leeks, bacon and smoked gouda, inspired by a recipe in the March issue of Bon Appetit.

I really liked the smokey flavor of the cheese combined with the bacon and leeks.  I used a whole wheat penne which seemed to me to handle the depth of the flavors better than normal pasta would have.  The sauce was smooth and rich and I really liked the way this pulled together.

Penne with Smoked Gouda, Leeks, and Bacon

• 4 leeks, bulbs and lighter green parts sliced and chopped
• 1/2 lb applewood smoked bacon, cut into small pieces
• 1 lb smoked gouda, grated
• 1/4 c flour
• 2 c milk
• 1 1/2 c half and half
• 1 tbs dijon
• 1/2 tsp hot sauce
• 2 eggs
• 1 lb whole wheat penne

1. Cook bacon until crisp.  Remove from pan with slotted spoon and set aside on paper towel
2. Pour off all but 2 tablespoons of the baking grease
3. Add leeks to pan, cover and cook until soft, about 10 minutes.  Stir a few times and don’t let them brown
4. Remove leeks with slotted spoon and set aside
5. Add flour, stirring constantly for 2 minutes
6. Add the milk, stirring until smooth.
7. Add the cheese, mustard, and hot sauce
8. Stir until the cheese melts
9. Add a little of the cheese sauce to the beaten eggs to temper; whisk into the sauce
10. Set aside
11. Cook pasta until tender; drain and add to large casserole
12. Stir in the leeks and bacon
13. Add the cheese sauce and stir well
14. Bake for 30 minutes ate 400F

Serves 6-8

images:Marye Audet

I love Pasta Primavera.  It is light, flavorful, and really fast.  Can you ask for more? I don’t think so!  The only thing I thought it was missing is a little “bite-cha-back.  You know what I mean.

Chipotle.

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I have such a backlog of recipes and cookbooks that I could probably cook something different, three times a day, all year long, until I died and I would still never have to repeat anything.  I love vintage cookbooks for several reasons, but the main one is practicality.

Now, if you are reading this, and you have the perfect family of 4 people you can buy any cookbook and follow a recipe with out a glitch. But when you have 6 or 8 or 12 people ot cook for then you need a vintage cookbook.  They are family friendly.

Anyway.  Our garden is producing okra like gangbusters and  we are eating tons of it.I needed a recipe that would use alot of okra, a little meat, and everyone would eat so I browsed my 1948 Cooking for American Homemakers..I think it is 1948….anyway….Oops..nope it was the 1954 Federation of Women’s Clubs, America Cooks,cookbook.  There.  Whew.

Honesty is important don’t you think?

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I have learned to love Muir Glen Fire Roasted tomatoes.  They add a smoky bite to everything I have put them in.

Our green beans are just starting to stop producing. I didn’t plant enough this year so I haven’t canned any at all.  I thought about putting in more but I think my time is too limited at the moment to care for them.

Anyway, the okra begins to produce just about the time that the green beans stop. We didn’t have enough for fried okra, only a few tender pods…so I sliced them up with some onions, and other things from the garden, added a can of fire roasted tomatoes and some fresh cilantro..and mixed some whole wheat rotini into the whole thing. Wow! With a little cheese, it was awesome. Read more

When I am in a rush, and I seem to often be rushed lately, nothing goes on the table quite as quickly as a pasta dish.

There are times I like to make fresh pasta but I always keep a couple of packages of organic whole wheat, and organic semolina pasta on the shelf for “Those Days”.

This was a fantastic hit at my house.  The pasta was garlicky and olive-y with just a hint of fresh tomato taste.  Fresh basil adds a nice touch.  I used elephant garlic but use what you have on hand.  If you are substituting regular garlic for elephant garlic use about 5 good sized cloves. Read more

Got you with that title, didn’t I?

This is my submission for Presto Pasta.  Check out Ruth’s blog for more great pasta recipes!

There is nothing all that special about this, or all that involved.  The fantastic flavors depend on the ingredients.  Totally.  I used an organic semolina penne, cooked a la dente for the pasta.

The sauce was simply a couple of cans of fire-roasted Muir Glen tomatoes, onions, peppers, garlic (lots!), fresh cilantro from the garden and……buffalo.  Sprinkle with some  grated pepper jack cheese and you are good to go. Read more

This is my entry this week in Ruth’s Pasta Presto night.   It goes up every friday and if you want some great pasta ideas THAT is the place to get them!

Over on Kettle and Cup I had gotten started talking about the tea room Marc and I had for awhile.  Some good memories, some bad….

Anyway, one of the favorite items on the menu was this pasta salad.  We used it as a side and often people chose it over our fresh cut french fries or homemade onion rings.  And my onion rings are ROCKIN’.  Seriously. We used to go through a ton of this stuff. Read more