Well, because of 1 special ingredient.....biltong! Biltong is something similar to jerky and is nothing other than pieces or strips of meat that is dried. My favorite biltong has to be beef, but game biltong and even chicken and fish biltong are sold here in South Africa. Now back to my pasta recipes....
I just wanted something different to the normal tomato based sauces or chicken....not even the idea of a seafood pasta sounded appetising to me. My eye caught the butternut on the cupboard and slowly but surely the idea started forming in my head. I wanted to get the balance just right. The sweet(butternut).......salty(bacon and biltong), sour(lemon-infused olive oil) and bitter(fresh thyme) sounded like perfect balance to me, what do you think? Here we go!
Ingredients
1 medium-sized butternut - peeled and cut up in small cubes
125gr bacon - finely chopped
fresh thyme
1 bulb of garlic- top sliced of
1 medium onion- sliced
lemon-infused olive oil
salt/pepper to taste
500gr pasta of your choice - cooked al dente.
freshly grated parmesan cheese - about 1 cup
1 cup biltong - thinly sliced
To save time, I par-boiled the butternut, but this is not necessary. In an oven-proof dish, scatter the bacon pieces, topped with the butternut and onion. Add the whole garlic bulb and drizzle the whole lot with olive oil and season with salt/pepper and thyme. Roast this in a hot oven until the butternut is cooked , the bacon is crispy and the garlic is soft and yummee. For the last 2-3 minutes, scatter the sliced biltong on top and let the biltong just warm through and start to brown slightly. Drain the pasta and add the content of the oven dish to the pasta. Add the parmesan and toss lightly. Season if needed.
This pasta recipe had my family speechless. Unusual ingredients thrown together, but it just worked!!! Go ahead, give it a try. If you want something a little more traditional, try my delicious homemade tomato sauce for pasta or even my Thai flavored pasta.
If you want to learn more about biltong, how it is made and even get a few recipes, this is the perfect site to visit.....
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14 comments:
Bacon and Parmesan cheese - yum. And the butternut squash adds a beautiful color. Lovely and easy - my kind of food.
Sam
Oh, does that look good. Hubs would love this. I would too...but I will just eat the butternut.
Nina, I found that taking alfalfa capsules really helps with the gerd. I use Natures Way Alfalfa leaves in capsule form. Works very well for my Husband also.
This looks so good Nina! I love the butternut in there! I think I would love biltong! YUM!
What's funny is that we give our dogs jerky as incentive to eat their dinner - sounds like you do the same with people!
Nina, Everything you make looks so good! I want to eat everything on this page, I'm serious! Tell hubs he does nice work with the photos, it's a visual pleasure everytime I stop by!
xox, Marie
awwww, I miss biltong so much. When I was in CT, we ate lots of biltong. I wish we can buy it here in the U.S.
I can only imagine how good this pasta is.
What an interesting combo! I've had butternut & bacon before (not with pasta mind you), but the biltong addition would be super.
Oh, no fair!! I can't make this, I don't have biltong here...will have to use Bresaola maybe, but just reveling in your pics is alreaday satisfying1
ronelle
That looks so delicious. I appreciate you visiting my baking blog: http://getoffyourbuttandbake.blogspot.com
You asked the question...how do I bake and "try" to stay slim. The trick is running for exercise, and giving most of what I bake away! It stinks, but that's my reality. Where I live, we don't use the same measuring system you do...I need to find a good converter..any ideas?
Again great pictures. We want to eat your food all the time.
I am going to make this for Saturday lunch, Nina!! Yor photos are absolutely amazing!! PPD
Never heard of biltong, but your pasta looks fabulous, so it's got to be good.
LL
That pasta looks good! This is the first that I have heard of biltong. I like the bacon, butternut squash and parmesan combo for a pasta!
Butternunt and biltong and/or bacon is such a wonderful combination of sweet and savoury flavours - can I come round for dinner next time you make this please?!
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