Granny's Turkey Bacon and Cranberry

2 teaspoons cornstarch
1 cup fat-skimmed chicken broth
1/2 cup pecan halves
1/4 pound sliced bacon, chopped
1 onion (1/2 lb.), peeled and chopped
3/4 pound dried bow-tie pasta
3/4 cup cranberry sauce or relish (purchased or homemade)
2 cups bite-size pieces skinned cooked turkey
1/4 cup minced parsley
Salt and pepper

1. In a 5- to 6-quart pan over high heat, bring 4 quarts of water to a boil. In a small bowl, mix cornstarch with broth.

2. While water heats, pour pecans into a 10- to 12-inch frying pan over medium-high heat. Shake or stir nuts frequently until lightly browned under the skin (break a nut to test), about 5 minutes. Pour from pan and set aside.

3. Return frying pan to medium-high heat; add bacon and onion. Stir often until bacon is brown, about 10 minutes; spoon out fat and discard. Add pasta to boiling water and cook until tender to bite, 10 to 12 minutes.

4. While pasta cooks, add cranberry sauce and broth mixture to bacon and onion; stir over high heat until boiling. Add turkey and parsley, mix, and keep sauce warm.

5. Drain pasta. Return to pan, add turkey sauce, and mix. Spoon onto plates. Sprinkle pasta with toasted pecans and add salt and pepper to taste.

...we are apt to forget that the vast majority of men and women who fell under the totalitarian spell was activated by unselfish motives, ready to accept the role of martyr or executioner, as the cause demanded.

- Arthur Koestler