Recipes
Smoked Bacon & Two Cheese Pasta
SERVES: 4–6
COOKING TIME: About 30 minutes
OVEN TEMPERATURE: Gas Mark 4, 180ºC, 350ºF
INGREDIENTS: 200g (8oz) Oak smoked premium back bacon rashers, trimmed and cut in half, 300g (10oz) Extra large pasta shells, ½ Small butternut squash, peeled and cut into small cubes (about 300g prepared weight), 1 Onion, roughly chopped, 2 Cloves garlic, squashed, 1 (approx 400g) Can cherry tomatoes, 200g (7oz) Taleggio cheese, rind removed and roughly sliced, 200g (7oz) Gorgonzola cheese, rind removed and roughly sliced
Method
Preheat the oven to Gas Mark 4, 180ºC, 350ºF. Cook the pasta and butternut squash in a large pan of boiling water for about 10-15 minutes until the pasta is cooked, but still has a slight bite and the squash is tender. Drain, rinse with hot water and then drain well. Place the bacon, onion and garlic in a pan and dry fry until the bacon is cooked and the onion has softened. Add the canned cherry tomatoes and heat through. Add the pasta shells and the squash and mix well together. This will help the mixture fill some of the shells. Spoon into a large ovenproof dish. Top with the cheeses – either create a half and half effect or mix together. Cover loosely with foil and bake for 10 minutes. Then remove the foil and cook for a further 10 minutes. Serve with mixed salad or steamed seasonal veg and crusty bread.