Pasta Carbonara

CATION: DO NOT READ UNLESS YOU ARE READY TO GAIN 2 POUNDS!!

The surgeon general should require that label be put on all Pasta Carbonara recipes.  I mean just look at the cast of characters for this episode.

Pasta, butter and bacon, how can you go wrong? 

I'll admit I have never had Pasta Carbonara but I have heard a lot about it and how good it its.  I used to work with a guy that said his wife made the best Pasta Carbonara in the world (but he said that about everything him or his wife cooked) and he got me interested.  It wasn't long after that I was cruising through Pioneer Woman's cooking  blog and came across her recipe for Pasta Carbonara.  It certainly sounded good, looked good and more importantly the comments people left said it was some of the best Pasta Carbonara they ever had.  I was sold, I had my Pasta Carbonara recipe. 

I did tweaked the recipe a bit by using ingredients I had on hand so I didn't have to go the store and the recipe at the bottom is how I made the Pasta Carbonara.  I used fresh thyme instead off parsley and of course I used some of that good Traders Joe's Pasta, lemon pepper this time.

This is really a pretty simple recipe to make and another bonus is it doesn't take very long.  I think the longest wait was for the bacon to cook.  While the bacon is cooking it gives me time to slice some garlic, lots of garlic, so much garlic you won't have any trouble with vampires for the night.

It is hard to beat the smell in the kitchen while cooking, bacon and garlic. Do they make a candle scent for that?  If not maybe they should.

My biggest worry making Carbonara is the raw eggs you mix the pasta with.  I guess the idea is to put the pasta in the egg mixture while it is still hot and it will cook the eggs and give a nice, thick, creamy mixture.  So how bad could it be anyway?  I once watched Rocky down some raw eggs while he was training for big fight so I figured a couple of raw or partially cooked eggs couldn't hurt me.  But as I found out the hot pasta will cook the eggs and all turns out fine in the end.

It sure did look good when I got done but the real test was yet to come, the taste testing.  It's hard to rate this recipe because I have never ate Pasta Carbonara before but I can tell you I liked it, liked it a lot.  I will definitely make this again, just not to often because I think I gained another 2 pounds writing this post.

Pasta Carbonara

(Printable Recipe)

Ingredients:

1/2 pound Smoky Bacon

8 oz. Linguine Pasta

1 whole medium Onion, diced

4 cloves Garlic, thinly sliced

1/2 cup White Wine (or Substitute Another 1/2 Cup Of Stock)

1/2 cup Chicken Stock
2 whole Eggs
3/4 Parmesan Cheese
1/4 stick unsalted Butter
1 Teaspoon fresh Thyme
½ to 1 Tablespoon Black Pepper

Preparation Instructions

Slice up bacon into pieces about one inch wide. Cook until browned and crisp.

Bring to as boil salted water and add linguine and cook until al dente, tender-firm.

After the bacon is cooked, remove it from the pan with a slotted spoon. Add the diced onions into the bacon renderings. Stir and cook over medium heat for 2 minutes.

Add the garlic and cook for 2 more minutes, remove from the pan and discard the bacon renderings.

Turn the heat up to high and as soon as the pan begins to smoke, pour in the white wine. Whisk until pan is thoroughly deglazed and add 1 cup of chicken stock. Return bacon, onion and garlic back to the pan. Turn heat down to medium and let simmer.

Crack eggs into a large bowl and add the Parmesan cheese and thyme. Leave a little Parmesan Mix well.

Drain the pasta being sure the pasta is very hot. Add the pasta to the egg mixture and then add the bacon/onion mixture, add butter and mix it all together well. Pepper to taste. Garnish with parmesan.

B-L-T Pasta

Every now and then I get a stray magazine showing up in my mailbox and recently I received a magazine called Cuisine at Home. It looks like a good magazine with plenty of good ideas and tips and of course some good looking recipes. I eyed this recipe a couple of weeks ago and decided to give it a try. It combined two of my favorite meals, bacon lettuce and tomato sandwiches and anything pasta hence the title B-L-T Pasta.

Now let's face it, anytime you throw a little pork fat or bacon in anything it is bound to taste better and that's why this recipe caught my eye.



My pictures don't look as appetizing as the pictures in the magazine but you'll get the idea.

Let's get started with the cast of characters:



A pretty darn good looking cast other than the hot dog buns. Hot dog buns? What is he doing with the hot dog buns? Well, since I was too cheap to buy the french bread called for in the recipe and I had some left over hot dog buns guess what I did? Yep I improvised, overcame, adapted and made bread crumbs from hot dog buns. I actually saw this once on Food Network, probably Good Eats.



I cut up and toasted the buns first.........



.......then I put them into the food processor along with a clove of garlic and pulsed them into bread crumbs.



While the hot dog buns were toasting I took the time to cut up some garlic and bacon.





Once the bread is toasted it is time for the bacon.



After the bacon it is the tomatoes turn and then the leeks.



Next add the cooked spaghetti, thyme, and spinach.



Finally I think we're done.



Pretty darn good meal too and well worth making again, even with the hot dog buns substituted for the fancy french bread. Don't make this without the bread crumbs it really makes the dish. I am rating this meal a 4.5 out of 5 forks.



B-L-T Pasta

For the garlic bread crumbs:
1 clove of garlic
1 cup French bread cubes
1 tsp olive oil
Salt to taste

For the pasta:
2 strips thick sliced bacon – diced
1 cup grape tomatoes, halved
½ tsp sugar
½ cup thinly sliced leeks
¼ cup dry white wine
½ cup chicken broth
1 tsp red wine vinegar
¼ tsp red pepper flakes
4 oz. dry bucatini or spaghetti
1 cup fresh spinach leaves
¼ tsp minced fresh thyme

Bring a pot of salted water to a boil for the bucatini.

Mince garlic for the bread crumbs in a food processor. Add cubed bread, and process until coarse. Heat oil in a nonstick skillet over medium; add crumbs and toast until golden, 3-4 minutes, stirring often. Season with salt and set aside.

Sauté bacon for the pasta in a large nonstick skillet over medium heat. Cook until crisp and then drain pieces on a paper towel-lined plate. Pour off all but 1 tbsp drippings.

Caramelize tomatoes and sugar in the drippings over medium heat. Cook until tomatoes begin to brown, about 5 minutes. Add leeks, sauté until wilted, 3-4 minutes.

Deglaze skillet with wine; simmer until liquid is nearly evaporated. Add the broth, vinegar, and pepper flakes. Simmer until liquid is reduced by a third, about 5 minutes.

Cook bucatini in boiling water according to the package directions. Add spinach, thyme, and bacon pieces to sauce. Transfer cooked pasta from cooking water to the skillet using tongs. Toss to coat with sauce. Season with salt and then divide pasta between plates. Sprinkle pasta with reserved bacon pieces and bread crumbs before serving.

From Cuisine at Home Magazine Free Preview Issue