The last supper

Our dear friends Rachel and Ty are moving away! So last night we had them over for dinner one last time and I made one of my favorite quick-cook, tastes-fancier-than-it-is dishes. It cooks up in 20 minutes and has a wonderful smoky character. We served it with bread and a salad Rachel assembled from all the local deliciousness she got from her Local Harvest subscription. Below is the recipe, slightly modified from the original published in Bon Appetit in 1999.

Linguine with Bacon, Tomato, and Cheese

5 thick bacon slices
6 large garlic cloves, finely chopped
1/2 cup dry red wine
1 28-ounce can diced tomatoes in juice
1 tablespoon tomato paste
1 1/2 teaspoons dried oregano
1/4 teaspoon dried crushed red pepper
4 tablespoons chopped fresh Italian parsley

1 pound linguine
1/2 to 3/4 cup coarsely grated Parmesan cheese, plus more for topping

Sauté bacon in a heavy large saucepan over medium heat until crisp. Remove the bacon from the pan and allow it to dry on paper towels. Spoon off all but 4 tablespoons drippings from pan. Add garlic to the pan and stir 30 seconds. Add wine and scrape up any browned bits. Add tomatoes with juices, tomato paste, oregano and crushed red pepper and simmer until the sauce thickens slightly, stirring occasionally, about 10 minutes. Chop the bacon into 1/2-inch segments and mix it into the sauce, along with 2 tablespoons of parsley and the grated parmesan.

Meanwhile, cook pasta in large pot of boiling salted water until just tender but still firm to bite.

Toss the cooked pasta in the sauce over medium heat until the sauce coats pasta, season with salt and pepper to taste (I don't add any), and serve topped with the remaining parsley and grated cheese. Delish!