La Jolla has great gourmet chefs, caterers and great at home cooks. A local La Jollan's recipe for Fennel-Bacon Pasta Salad, which can be served warm or cold, was selected to be featured in month's edition of Taste of Home, a recipe magazine.
The magazine said the dish with seven simple ingredients, "is elegant enough to serve at a formal dinner."
Taste of Home said it rigorously tests each and every recipe it publishes to ensure it can be prepared with affordable, everyday ingredients from regular grocery stores.
The following recipes should take you 15 minutes of prep time and 20 minutes to cook. It serves 16.
Fennel-Bacon Pasta Salad
- 1 pkg. (16 oz.) uncooked spiral pasta
- 6 thick-sliced bacon strips, chopped
- 3 small fennel bulbs, thinly sliced
- 1 1/2 cups walnut halves
- 1 1/4 cups (5 oz.) crumbled Stilton cheese, divided
- 1 tsp. coarsely ground pepper
- 3/4 tsp. salt
- Cook the pasta according to package directions.
- Meanwhile, in a large skillet, cook bacon over medium heat until crisp. Remove bacon with a slotted spoon; drain on paper towels. Remove drippings, reserving 3 Tbsp. Sauté fennel in reserved drippings for about 4 to 6 minutes or until crisp-tender. Add walnuts; cook 3-4 minutes longer or until toasted.
- Drain pasta, reserving 1 cup pasta water. Add pasta, bacon and 3 cup cheese to fennel mixture; sprinkle with pepper and salt. Toss lightly until cheese is melted, adding enough reserved pasta water to coat. Serve warm with remaining cheese.
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