(Chicago) – Pasta is my best friend whenever I host a big party. It is easy to prepare, especially in huge quantity, and it is filling. I am throwing a housewarming party and I want my friends to sample my version of beef salpicado. Why not make Spanish-style pasta to complement the beef?
The bigger question now is how to make this pasta tastes Spanish. I searched online on the basic Spanish ingredients, headed to grocery store and bought the most accessible ones. Voila! I created this colorful pasta of chorizo and bacon with bold flavors of smoked paprika and a little kick from cayenne.
Ingredients:
- 1 lb tri-colored Fusilli pasta
- 1 lb Spanish chorizo sausage
- 1 lb sliced mushroom
- 2 large tomatoes, diced
- 1 14 oz can of crushed tomatoes
- 2 tbsp smoked paprika
- 1 medium size onion, chopped
- 1 tbsp sugar
- 2 tbsp butter
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 1 cup chicken stock
- 1 tsp garlic
- 1 green bell pepper, diced
- 1 red bell pepper, diced
- 6 strips of bacon (rendered or baked, then crumbled)
- 1 tsp salt
- ½ tsp pepper
- ½ tsp cayenne pepper
Directions:
Heat the olive oil and butter in a large pan on medium high. Sauté garlic and onion until onion turns translucent. Add diced tomatoes and cook for another 3 minutes. Add chorizo, mushroom, crushed tomatoes, sugar, paprika, salt, pepper, bell pepper, cayenne pepper and chicken stock. Cover and simmer for around 10 min. Turn heat down to a low simmer for another 10 minutes until the sauce has reached the desired consistency.
While the sauce is cooking, boil the pasta according to package directions. If the pasta cooks al dente in 10 minutes, boil it only for 8 minutes since it will cook some more when you mix it with the sauce. Add pasta to sauce simmering on the pan and toss for a couple of minutes. Adjust seasoning if necessary.
Transfer to a big serving dish and put crumbled bacon on top.
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