Pink Pasta Sauce with Bacon
Ingredients
3 cups dry penne pasta cooked 1 minute less than package instruction
½ lb bacon chopped
3 shallots chopped small
1 garlic clove chopped small
2 tablespoon tomato paste
½ teaspoon chili flakes or more or less according to taste and type of chili flakes
3 tomatoes seeds removed then chopped
¾ cup dry white wine
1 cup heavy cream
½ cup chopped parsley
1 cup pasta cooking water
¼ teaspoon ground black pepper
¼ teaspoon salt or according to taste
Directions
Place bacon in a cold skillet and set it over medium-high heat. Cook for 7-8 minutes, until bacon is crispy. Meanwhile, get the pasta water cooking in a large pot.
Add shallots and garlic and cook for 2 minutes, until shallots have softened. Meanwhile, salt the pasta water heavily and pour in the dry pasta.
Push the bacon, shallots and garlic to one side of the pan and add tomato paste and chili flakes on the other side. Fry the tomato paste and chili flakes for 1 minute, then mix in with the rest.
Add the tomatoes and white wine. Cook for 1 minute to allow some of the alcohol to cook off.
Add cream, bring to a simmer, then lower the heat to keep that simmer and cook for 5 minutes.
Mix in chopped parsley.
Drain the pasta and reserve 1 cup of cooking water.
Mix in pasta and pasta cooking water with the sauce. Taste test and season with salt and pepper as needed.
Simmer for 1 minute, then serve.
