ORECCHIETTE WITH SALAD TURNIPS, SPINACH, SHIITAKES, AND BACON

ORECCHIETTE WITH SALAD TURNIPS, SPINACH, SHIITAKES, AND BACON image

Yield 2

Number Of Ingredients 10

10 oz orrechiette pasta
5 oz bacon (Llano seco is nice) or pancetta
¼ lb shiitake mushrooms
½ tsp balsamic vinegar
1 bunch salad turnips with their greens
5 cloves garlic
¼ lb spinach
¼ tsp red pepper flakes
6 sprigs thyme, de-stemmed or 2 Tb chopped parsley
1 Tb marsala wine or white wine

Steps:

Cook bacon in a skillet on a medium-low flame until browned. As bacon cooks, boil water, cook the orecchiette and strain. Remove bacon with a slotted spoon and place in a bowl. And shiitake stems to rendered fat and cook for 30 seconds, then add shiitake heads. Remove shiitakes after 5 minutes and place in the bacon bowl with ½ tsp of balsamic vinegar. Add turnip roots to bacon fat, then add garlic after two minutes, and then turnip greens and spinach after three more minutes. Stir occasionally until cooked down, about 8-10 minutes. Add red pepper flakes and thyme or parsley and stir. Add a splash of marsala or white wine. Heat for thirty seconds, then incorporate bacon and shiitakes. Finally, stir in pasta and enjoy.