I came upon this recipe while exploring what I could do with the remaining block of hickory smoked & dried bacon that I had to use. My initial worry was that the hickory smoke would overwhelm the pasta, but to my surprise, it didn't. I used pappardelle from Italy, which had a great tooth and helped hold everything together. I also stirred the pasta and other ingredients for the entire five minutes, like a risotto, which incorporated the ingredients really well. Unfortunately, I took the pasta to al dente, which broke up a bit during stirring but still tasted fine. I also used canned corn because that is what I had. The corn wasn't sweet enough and too dry. Next time, I will use frozen or fresh corn; I also think frozen peas would also work in this recipe. I didn't have white balsamic vinegar, so I used high-quality dark vinegar, which tasted great and didn't noticeably change the color. The basil and parmesan are a must; the basil really elevated all the other flavors, so it's not optional, in my opinion.