Creamy Rigatoni with Bacon

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Works in most Browsers
Recipe by: Chef John V.
History: This is a twist of Spaghetti Carbonara
description:Creamy pasta with bacon, spinach and cheese!
Serving size: 4 people
Preparation time: about 30 minutes

Amount/Measure/Ingredient:

8 slices hickory or cherry wood smoked bacon, each slice cut into 6 pieces
2 tbsp. butter
1/4 cup scallions, sliced very thin
1/4 cup white wine, chardonnay is a good choice
1 cup heavy cream
1/4 tsp. nutmeg
1/2 tsp. ground black pepper
1/2 tsp. salt
1 cup whole or part-skim ricotta
3/4 cup grated parmesan cheese
1 lb, rigatoni
2 tbsp. extra virgin olive oil
4 cups, baby spinach, washed and drained

Preparation:

Cook the bacon crisp, using whatever method you like. Fry it in a pan, bake it in the oven or microwave it on paper towels. (The method I prefer when making it at home, otherwise in a restaurant, I'll bake it in an oven. Keep it warm until adding it to the pasta.

Prepare the sauce while the pasta is cooking or a little bit ahead of time. Melt the butter in a pot and add the scallions and over medium heat, saute for 1 minute, add the white wine and cook 3 minutes more. Add the heavy cream and bring to a boil, reduce the heat and simmer 10 minutes. Season with nutmeg, pepper and salt. Reduce the heat to low and add the ricotta and parmesan, and stir until smooth and creamy---don't let it boil; but it should be steaming hot. Keep it warm until the pasta is cooked.

The rigatoni should be cooked al dente, at the last minute, before serving, according to package instructions and especially with enough salt in the water so it tastes like the ocean! Drain but don't rinse it and put back into the cooking pot with 2 tbsp. extra virgin olive oil and spinach and stir it all in. Then add all the sauce and half of the bacon, stir again and then place it all in a bowl to serve. Top with the remaining bacon ad sprinkle with a little parmesan cheese!

To really make this dish great, everything needs to be assembled at the last minute. You can make the sauce a little bit ahead of time but the pasta is a different story. Cook it al dente, add the sauce and other ingredients, and serve it right away. That means your guests if any, should be sitting at the table ready to eat as you are putting it into a serving bowl!