Meat Free Blt Spaghetti With Butter Lettuce Leek And Tomato Recipes

BLT: BEEF, LEEK AND TOMATO SALAD - WITH BACON DRESSING - AN EXTRA "B"!

Steps:

• Heat a grill pan or grill to medium-high heat.
• Bring steaks to room temperature, drizzle with extra-virgin olive oil and season with salt and pepper on both sides.
• Place the steaks on the grill, cook meat 10 to 12 minutes for pink centers. Turn twice and let meat rest 5 minutes before slicing.
• While meat cooks, brown bacon in a drizzle of extra-virgin olive oil in a medium to large skillet over medium-high heat.
• Chop the leeks then soak in a large bowl of water or separate the chopped leeks by running under water. Dry the leeks in a kitchen towel.
• Place cooked bacon on paper towels to drain. Pour off all but about a tablespoon of bacon drippings then add leeks and wilt down. Season cooked leeks with salt and peppe, to taste.
• Transfer the cooked bacon to a food processor and add Worcestershire, vinegar, mustard, some black pepper and a splash of water. Turn processor on and stream in 1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil.
• On each dinner plate, arrange a bed of shredded romaine and thickly sliced tomatoes. Slice meat against the grain of the steak. Arrange the steak over the sliced tomatoes. Scatter the leeks over the sliced steaks and pour bacon dressing down over the top.

EXTRA-CRISPY BLT

Steps:

• Heat the oven to 400 degrees. Line a sheet pan with foil, including up the sides. Arrange the bacon in a single layer on the lined sheet pan, overlapping pieces slightly, if necessary, to fit them all on the pan. Transfer to the oven and cook, without flipping, until deep golden brown and curling in spots, 15 to 25 minutes. (You can put the bacon in as the oven heats up; it will help the fat render.) Transfer the cooked bacon to a paper towel-lined plate. (You can fold and curl the pieces onto the plate; this will add more texture to the final sandwich.)
• Meanwhile, season the tomatoes with salt and pepper. Cut four 1/4-inch-thick slabs of the iceberg lettuce crosswise. (Make a wedge salad with the rest.) Toast the bread in the toaster or directly on an empty rack in the oven, flipping halfway through.
• Spread one side of the toasted bread with mayonnaise and/or mustard. Add 2 slices of tomato to half the bread slices. Top with one slab of lettuce, then add the bacon. It will be tricky to lay the bacon flat, and that's good. Arrange them irregularly, so there are pockets of air between the slices.
• Top with the remaining slices of bread. Press down slightly, cut in half and eat right away.

BLT PASTA

Steps:

• Bring a large pot of well-salted water (2 heaping tablespoons kosher salt to about 7 quarts water) to a boil. Add pasta and cook until it is just under al dente, 1 minute less than package directions. Reserve 1 cup of the pasta cooking water, and drain the pasta.
• Meanwhile, make the sauce: Place the bacon in a large skillet and cook over medium-low heat until crisp, stirring occasionally to make sure it does not burn, about 8 minutes. Remove with a slotted spoon and set aside on a plate lined with paper towels. Turn heat to medium and add the tomatoes to the skillet, tossing them to coat in the bacon fat. Season with salt and pepper. As the moisture from the tomatoes releases, scrape any browned bits that have accumulated at the bottom of the pan (add a few tablespoons of the pasta water if you need to) and continue to cook until the tomatoes begin to fall apart, about 5 to 7 minutes more. Add half the cooked bacon back to the skillet and toss to combine.
• Increase the heat to medium-high and add the pasta directly to the skillet tossing to coat with the sauce. Add the arugula and 1/4 cup of the pasta water and carefully toss (you'll have a very full pan) until the arugula wilts. Add the cheese and an additional 1/4 cup pasta water and toss together until the cheese emulsifies and the pasta is glossy with sauce. If needed, add another 1/4 cup pasta water to loosen the sauce.
• Serve in bowls and top with remaining bacon. Pass the grated Pecorino Romano at the table and season with flaky salt, if desired.