Easy pasta recipes- Pasta with Biltong, butternut and bacon!!!

More easy pasta recipes, you would ask? How is it possible that there can be more pasta recipes? As you search the internet, you will find that pasta is no longer just enjoyed as part of the Italian cuisine......I read about Mexican pasta recipes, Greek pasta recipes and even Thanksgiving pasta recipes to mention but a few. Today I am proud to share with you what I think is an authentic South African Pasta recipe. Why South African? 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.....