This is my pasta entry for  Presto Pasta Nights…which I remembered this week.  This week’s host is Pam of Sidewalk Shoes.

This week I made a penne with leeks, bacon and smoked gouda, inspired by a recipe in the March issue of Bon Appetit.

I really liked the smokey flavor of the cheese combined with the bacon and leeks.  I used a whole wheat penne which seemed to me to handle the depth of the flavors better than normal pasta would have.  The sauce was smooth and rich and I really liked the way this pulled together.

Penne with Smoked Gouda, Leeks, and Bacon

• 4 leeks, bulbs and lighter green parts sliced and chopped
• 1/2 lb applewood smoked bacon, cut into small pieces
• 1 lb smoked gouda, grated
• 1/4 c flour
• 2 c milk
• 1 1/2 c half and half
• 1 tbs dijon
• 1/2 tsp hot sauce
• 2 eggs
• 1 lb whole wheat penne

1. Cook bacon until crisp.  Remove from pan with slotted spoon and set aside on paper towel
2. Pour off all but 2 tablespoons of the baking grease
3. Add leeks to pan, cover and cook until soft, about 10 minutes.  Stir a few times and don’t let them brown
4. Remove leeks with slotted spoon and set aside
5. Add flour, stirring constantly for 2 minutes
6. Add the milk, stirring until smooth.
7. Add the cheese, mustard, and hot sauce
8. Stir until the cheese melts
9. Add a little of the cheese sauce to the beaten eggs to temper; whisk into the sauce
10. Set aside
11. Cook pasta until tender; drain and add to large casserole
12. Stir in the leeks and bacon
13. Add the cheese sauce and stir well
14. Bake for 30 minutes ate 400F

Serves 6-8

images:Marye Audet

Sometimes it seems as if spring can’t be here soon enough.  I don’t know about you but I am ready for warmer weather.  This salad seems to embody that with the variety of flavors and textures.  I used walnut oil for the dressing because I wanted to keep it light tasting and allow the tangerine to come through.

This was a nice combination of flavors. Sweet and tart clementine, sultry fennel, and rich pistachio tossed together with a light dressing with a touch of soy.  If you are looking for a salad that would be excellent with an Asian or Italian food this is it…

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Patrizio in Uptown Mall in Cedar Hill, Texas is open. What did I think?

Short version- 3.5 out of 5 stars.

I have lived in the southwest Dallas County area for … umm.. a lot of years. When we moved here this part of North Texas was largely rolling pasture and cedar trees. Well times change and over the years the tiny towns became little cities, but for the most part it was a bedroom community. No shopping, no restaurants (besides Dairy Queen, burger places, and a few equivalents of a greasy diner), and when a good restaurant did open it generally closed for lack of interest.

In this area, even a few years ago, if it wasn’t chicken fried steak and turnip greens it wasn’t going to sell.
Well, that has changed over the past year. A new shopping mall opened in Cedar Hill, not too far from me, and I just love it. One of the things I love the most is that there are now restaurants. Real ones. You know, the kind where you don’t have to get a key to the bathroom from the server.

Yesterday Marc and I had some errands to run. Not expecting to go anywhere we were not dressed up and I did not have my camera. SIGH. Seriously, he had been working on chainsawing down a tree, and I was wearing farm clothes. For some odd reason I saw that the new Italian restaurant was open and I mentioned to Marc that we should go.
Why didn’t I look at the exterior and recognize the need for clean jeans at least?

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