Emergency Pasta

What's a person to do when you're absolutely starving, need something fairly hearty, and not in the mood to wade through the torrential rains to the store? Dig through the freezer and be thankful for a little window garden. A few nights ago I put together a nice pasta with some bacon I'd stuck in the freezer, my frozen roasted tomatoes, and some basil from the window. Not only was the finished product tasty, but the cooking of it was extra fun after slicing my index finger on the roasted tomatoes' container...cooking with a big band aid is challenging and fun!

Bacon Tomato Basil Capellini

•handful of dried capellini
•clove of garlic, crushed
•3 strips of bacon, cut into smallish pieces
•1 cube or about 1/4 cup frozen roasted tomatoes (thawed)
•generous handful of fresh basil leaves (separate large from baby leaves)
•freshly-grated Parmesan cheese

For the capellini, boil salted water in a pot.

In a sauté pan, cook the bacon pieces until crispy. Drain and set aside. Pour any extra bacon fat from the pan (be sure to put it in a Pyrex cup or a can--don't pour directly into the sink, or you may have some splattering issues).

Meanwhile, add pasta to boiling water. It should cook it about 2 minutes, so keep an eye on it. When you drain it, retain some of the cooking water, just in case you need it.

While the pasta's cooking, add the garlic to the sauté pan and gently cook for about 30 seconds. Add the roasted tomatoes, bacon, and pasta when it's ready, and toss (add some of the water if you think it will help incorporate everything). Fold in most of the large basil leaves (they'll wilt), and serve garnished with Parmesan, small leaves, and salt and freshly ground pepper to taste.