For my second week cooking with this talented group of bloggers and cooks in the French Fridays with Dorie club, I have once again broken the post-on-Friday rule. After a long and emotionally draining week, we ended up calling out for pizza Friday night instead of cooking. So Plan B? Make this week’s recipe, Beggar’s Linguine, from Around My French Table, for lunch on Saturday. But when I got up early this morning and the sun was shining, I started prepping the ingredients, taking photos and before you know it, it just seemed right to cook the linguine for breakfast instead. And since I was adding some pancetta (Italian bacon) to it, it all made sense – bacon is a breakfast food right?
Beggar’s Linguine is a most unusual pasta dish that combines dried figs, raisins, almonds, pistachios, orange zest, fresh chives and parsley, parmesan cheese and butter to create a rich, comforting, nutty, and filling meal. If you’re squishing up your nose and thinking there’s no way I’m eating figs in my pasta, unwrinkle your nose, open your mind and give this pasta a try.
As I perused the list of timely posts on the French Fridays site yesterday, I found some doubters who tried it anyhow and loved it, a couple cooks who didn’t get it, and several who tried some variations that worked really well. From TastyTrix’s blog, I borrowed the idea to add some pancetta – knowing our family’s crazy love affair with pancetta and the rich, deep flavor it adds to so many dishes we cook. And from the SoupAddict’s blog, I was inspired to use up my dried cherries along with the raisins.
So what was the verdict from my “never quick with a compliment” judges (Dormant Chef, Tech Savvy Teen, Torah-chanting Tween) – they thought it warranted an OMG! Yummy and said I can make dinner for breakfast anytime I want. In fact, seems that this has just been one upside down week from beginning to end because I made breakfast for dinner the other day. But I digress, that will be another blog post sometime soon…
Don’t be afraid to experiment in the kitchen and try something outside of your comfort zone. A new combination of ingredients or just eating a dinner food at breakfast can open up all kinds of culinary possibilities or at least make your family happy. What’s the most unusual recipe or ingredient you’ve tried in the kitchen recently?
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That indeed is an unusual pasta but I do love the mixture of flavours on that plate.
From your blog, you are obviously not afraid to try any ethnicity or food combination. Definitely give this a try. Interesting and lots of room for creativity.
This looks so yummy! Would love for you to link it at our
Make a Food-“e”-Friend Monday party. And also your MOST POPULAR recipe so far in our Star Recipes Collection.
Visiting you from SITS roll call!
Thanks for visiting! Think I got a post up at the Stars Collection but don’t think I made it to Foode Friend Monday. Maybe next week. Thanks for asking.
I really enjoyed your post. It’s so great that your family enjoyed it. And such a happy accident that you were able to miss the friday “deadline” and glean inspiration from other blogs! You rock!
Yes – it was a happy accident – I really don’t plan to be late but figure if that’s what works out, might as well be enriched for it. And there is so much to learn from this group. Just love it. Loved your post too – that you made it for your dad and each enjoyed it but different aspects of it.
Yum! I bet the pancetta was perfect in this! Your photos look delicious!
Checked out your blog and loved your photos as well – especially the folded linen underneath. The pancetta was wonderful – the bites without it were great but with the pancetta – totally over-the-top fantastic.
Umm..Hello?! That looks fabulous and I am now drooling on my key board haha.
Thank you for stopping by my blog yesterday for my SITS day! I really appreciate it 🙂
Hope your keyboard is still working…It was fabulous, if I may say so myself and the pancetta really made it outstanding.
Love the pics. Hey, anything is fair game for breakfast if you add bacon or fruit! Glad you liked it.
Wow – visited your blog and see you made your own noodles for the dish – very impressive. Yup – bacon and fruit put it right on the breakfast train, don’t you think?
Visiting from SIT. That looks very yummy. And I love good food anytime of day!
That pretty much sums it up for me too!
Oh that looks delicious, and you can cook me breakfast (dinner) anytime.
I would be happy to – my kitchen is almost always open.
I penciled in pancetta for this recipe…great idea. Someone else tried bacon and that sounded good too. We loved this dish and I will be cooking it again and trying a few new additions. Nice photos.
Thanks for the comment on the photos – I’m using a point and shoot Canon – trying to stretch it to its maximum ability and having some fun doing it. Definitely try the pancetta or bacon next time – I would have enjoyed the dish without but the bites with it in it, were really fantastic. I used the rendered pancetta fat in place of a bit of the butter as well.
Well you can’t go wrong taking hints from Trix. I think of any pasta there is, THIS is the one you want to have for breakfast. Good thinking. (I had to go and turn it into dessert, alas.)
Welcome to the group!
Just read your post where you sub apples for the linguine and caramel sauce for the parmesan and wala – you have a baked apple dessert. Brilliant! I am really enjoying the creativity and camaraderie of this group!
Great idea to serve for breakfast. I bet it was great with pancetta added! I’m impressed that your family tried it!
The pancetta was really fantastic – highly recommend it. Loved your idea to add some red pepper flakes. I will definitely try that next time as well.
sounds great. You are right I did squish up my nose at the figs but Dad wants me to try it anyway. I will soon. Mom
I have to admit, when I was chopping the figs, I had a fleeting thought that I was making fig newton pasta and it just didn’t make sense, but in the end, I don’t think the figs made that big a difference. If you really don’t like them, use extra of some other dried fruit. The dried cherries were great as would be dried cranberries or extra raisins. Let me know if you make it.
Your dish looks fantastic. I can imagine the flavors with the added pancetta.
I have used pancetta in a few different dishes, and it is wonderful. Tricia
and I had our doubts about the raisins and figs, but it all turned out well.
Great job.
Glad you gave it a try and enjoyed it. I squirted a little extra juice from the orange on at the end, which cut through the butter a bit and seemed appropriate since we were eating it for breakfast. All were happy with this very tasty and unusual breakfast.
Now this is definitely something I have never tried before. Raisins, pistachios, dried figs, almonds in a pasta dish? This flavor combination all makes sense. I have to try this soon.
I’m sure you’ll do something wonderful with it. It’s definitely a recipe that you can get creative with. But I highly recommend the added pancetta. What a flavor burst in the mouth along with all the other wonderful yummies. Really took it over the top.
I love breakfast for dinner, so why not dinner for breakfast?! Looks like a sweet & salty dish to me and anything with pancetta and pistacios can’t be bad, in my book.
You got it – the sweet and salty and the added fragrance from the zest and fresh herbs – really terrific. And you’re right – think I’m going to try this dinner for bkfst more often, it works so well in the reverse, why did it take me so long to try this?