Monday, May 25, 2009

Easy Pasta Carbonara

One of my favorite Rachael Ray recipes is her Pasta Carbonara. I changed up a few things so here is our favorite family version:

Carbonara Ingredients:
· Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
· 1 pound pasta, such as spaghetti or rigatoni
· 1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil (enough to coat bottom of pan)
· a few slices of bacon chopped
· 1 teaspoon red pepper flakes
· 5 to 6 cloves garlic, chopped
· 1/2 cup dry white wine
· 1 large egg yolks
· Parmesan cheese

· Handful of finely chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley, for garnish Directions: 1. Put a large saucepot of water on to boil. Add a liberal amount of salt and the pasta. Cook to al dente, about 8 minutes.2. Meanwhile, heat a large skillet over medium heat. Add the olive oil and bacon. Brown bacon for about 2 minutes. Add red pepper flakes and garlic and cook 2 to 3 minutes more. Add wine and stir up all the pan drippings.3. In a separate bowl, beat yolk, then add 1 large ladleful (about 1/2 cup) of the pasta cooking water. This tempers the eggs and keeps them from scrambling when added to the pasta. 4. Drain pasta well and add it directly to the skillet with pancetta and oil. Pour the egg mixture over the pasta. Toss rapidly to coat the pasta without cooking the egg. Remove pan from heat and add a big handful of cheese, lots of pepper, and a little salt. Continue to toss and turn the pasta until it soaks up egg mixture and thickens, 1 to 2 minutes. Garnish with parsley and Parmesan Cheese.

For the boys I serve up the Rigatoni (before adding the egg) with some pasta sauce and sprinkle with the Parmesan Cheese. It's always a hit in our family and unfortunately I ended up eating this twice! :-)

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