August 22nd is National BLT Day; April is National BLT Month.

We’ve applied the BLT concept to foods beyond sandwiches—from cocktails to guacamole. See the recipes below.

Thanks to DeLallo, we’ve now tried it with a bowl of fusilli col buco*. We’ve had it both as hot pasta and as a room temperature BLT Fusilli Salad.

There’s no mayonnaise; but rather, lots of Italian flavors.
 
 
RECIPE: BLT PASTA WITH FUSILLI COL BUCO

Ingredients For 4 Servings

 
Preparation

1. BRING a large pot of water to a boil. Carefully add enough water to make the water salty enough to taste like sea water (usually 2-3 tablespoons of kosher salt; add two tablespoons and check to see if it’s salty enough).

2. PLACE the pasta in the water and cook to al dente. Drain the pasta, reserving about 2 cups of pasta water. Set both aside.

3. PLACE a large skillet over medium heat and add the olive oil. Add the pancetta and cook until well browned and sizzling on all sides. Add the minced garlic to the pan and toss for 1 minute more.

4. ADD the sliced tomatoes to the pan and stir until softened, about 4 minutes. Reduce the heat to low and add the kale or spinach, and the antipasto mix. Toss to combine; the greens will begin to wilt in the heat. Add a good pinch of both salt and pepper.

5. ADD the pasta and about 1 cup of the pasta water. Toss to combine and warm through. The pasta water will help thicken the mixture, but if you’d like the mixture a bit saucier, add more of the reserved pasta water. Cook for about 3 minutes more on the stovetop. Taste and season as necessary.

6. ADD to a large bowl or individual plates. Garnish with the torn basil leaves, parmesan cheese and crushed red pepper flakes.
 

BLT RECIPES THAT ARE NOT A SANDWICH

 
And Sandwich Variations

 
 
> The History Of The BLT
 
> The History Of Pasta

[1] Here’s the BLT topping for the pasta (all photos © DeLallo).

[2] The ingredients for BLT Pasta.

[3] Fusilli pasta is a hollow, long-strand (ribbon) pasta. If you can’t find it locally, buy it online.

*Fusilli col buco is fusilli (corkscrew pasta), with a hole (col buco). That is to say, the strands are hollow. They’re long strand fusilli, not the more familiar short-cut. The hollow center makes it fun to eat. Numerous artisan brands make it; and you can buy it online from DeLallo. If you can’t find it, substitute spaghetti.

†DeLallo Antipasto Delight is a giardiniera-style mix of pickled vegetables, featuring crispy carrots, celery, cauliflower florets, sweet red peppers, Spanish stuffed green olives and mild pepperoncini, with tangy vinegar bite. Buy it online from DeLallo. Here’s a recipe to make your own.