Also known as “fat pasta”, read the ingredients list and you’ll know why. Sometimes this is what you need on an unusually wintry “Spring” day. Parsley absolutely unnecessary, only because I wanted a dash of green in the bowl. Some crispy fried sage leaves would be a nice addition though.

Ingredients
1 1/2 cup penne or your choice of pasta
1/4 of a medium-sized sweet mama squash or any other dense-fleshed squash
4 rashers of unsmoked back bacon
2 shallots
2 cloves of garlic
2 tbsp creme fraiche
1 tsp wholegrain mustard
salt and black pepper to taste
parmigiano reggiano

Chop squash into 1.5 cm cubes. Bring a saucepan of water to the boil, add a pinch of salt and cook pasta according to instructions on the pack. In the last five minutes of cooking, add squash. While pasta is cooking, prepare the other ingredients. Separate the bacon into fat and lean and chop both separately into small pieces. Mince shallot and garlic finely. In a dry pan over low heat, add bacon fat and fry until crisp. Remove crackling and leave liquid fat in the pan. Add shallot, garlic and lean bacon and cook over a low heat until shallot is soft. When the pasta and squash are ready, remove from heat and drain well. Add pasta and squash to the pan with the shallot, garlic and bacon. Add creme fraiche and mustard, stir and season with salt to taste. Remove from heat after creme fraiche has been heated through gently. Sprinkle with ground black pepper, grated parmesan and crackling.

Replies

brooke: I was so glad to catch it too.

Yen: I was only out for about one to two hours so it’s not too bad. I’m so lazy nowadays I don’t even carry my Panasonic out!

Judy: I think there was one made after Remy of Ratatouille too.

Vicki: Oh dear, apparently it snowed on Monday around 2 – 3 a.m. too but I missed that. I imagine that dog has been rolling around in the snow, a lot!

Minny: Bulgogi is AB’s favourite. My favourite Korean dishes are Japchae and Bibimbap!

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