Sunday Dinner with the Girls

With Kev gone, I invited two girlfriends (Leah and Naomi) over to dinner for some wine and pasta. We had sundried tomato hummus and polenta with sauteed spinach with garlic and bleu cheese for appetizers. For dinner, we all pitched in to make the following recipe from Emeril....So yummy. We didn't want to use heavy cream so we used half and half instead. We had a great time, dishing and enjoying wine with our pasta. Although I think the wine may have gone to my head....Enjoy!

Pasta with Peas and Bacon
Serves 2

Ingredients
1 pound cheese filled tortellini
3 ounces fresh bacon, julienned (about 1/4 cup)
2 tablespoons chopped onions
6 ounces heavy cream
1/2 cup fresh peas (blanched), or 4 ounces frozen peas
2 tablespoons freshly grated Parmesan
Salt and black pepper
Chopped parsley, recipe follows

Directions

Place tortellini in the pot of boiling water.

In a large skillet, cook the bacon until crispy. Remove bacon with a slotted spoon, place on a paper towel to drain. Pour out all the bacon grease except for 1 tablespoon. In the same skillet place the onion and cook for 2 minutes, or until golden. Pour in the cream, and reduce until lightly thickened.

Remove the pasta from the water when it is al dente, about 8 minutes. Drain and add the pasta to the cream mixture. Add bacon back to the pan along with the peas and cheese. Reduce for 1 minute. Toss and adjust the seasonings. Spoon into a large pasta bowl and serve. Garnish with additional grated Parmesan and chopped parsley, if desired.


**we doubled the recipe, but ended up with lots of leftovers....not sure whether the original recipe would have been enough...Guess I'll try next time.**

~Chrissy