Pasta Carbonara

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Pasta Carbonara is one of my all time favorite dishes. Every time I go to an OIP ( a chain of Italian restaurants in my area) you better believe I am ordering I nice big plate of Pasta Carbonara with a loaf of their amazing bread! This is one of those dishes that is kind of pricey for us at almost $15 a plate but it is so worth it! Plus they give so much food that I have lunch for the next day, so really its only $7.50 a plate… or at least thats how I try to justify my favorite dish to my husband. Since I am so in LOVE with this dish (I’m talking talking will you marry me on the first date kind of love… yeah it’s pretty serious!)  I have decided to recreate it at home and put my own spin on it. Now I can have Pasta Carbonara any time I want! Good for my taste buds… baaaad for my hips.

Digging in!

Here it is! My Pasta Carbonara Recipe! =p

Ingredients: 

1 pound of bacon

1 pond box of penne pasta ( Cooked according to aldente directions + 2 ladles full of pasta water)

1/2 Tsp. Garlic Powder

1/4 Tsp. Black Pepper

1/4 Tsp. Red Pepper Flakes

1/4 C. white cooking wine ( to de-glaze the pan)

2 Cups Heavy cream

1 1/2 Parmesan cheese

2 egg yolks

1 egg

chopped parsley for garnish

This is where is gets tricky! This is a fairly simple dish to make it is just a lot is going on at one time, if you have help in the kitchen you are going to want it! If you do not have help in the kitchen, like me, I will show you a few tricks to getting things prepared so you have a beautiful dish.

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Directions:

Start penne noddles and bacon at the same time. More than likely the noodles will be finished before the bacon is     ( this is good!). Using a deep skillet, cut bacon in to small pieces and fry on medium high heat till crispy. Drain bacon grease and set bacon on a plate that has been lined with paper towels, set aside for later. Once pasta is finished, pour 2 ladles full of the pasta water into a small bowl and set aside.  Drain the pasta and let it sit in the strainer until you are ready for it.  Return skillet that you cooked the bacon in to the burner set at medium high heat, pour 1/4 cup of white cookie wine in the skillet to deglaze the bottom of your pan, use a wooden spoon to scrap up all the little brown bits on the bottom of the pan… they add flavor. Add heavy cream, Parmesan cheese, garlic powder, pepper, and red pepper flakes to the skillet, whisk till you have a nice sauce ( it will be a little on the runny side.. that’s OK). Quickly, in another small bowl add 2 egg yolks and one egg, whisk vigorously. Next add the whisked eggs to the 2 ladles spoons of pasta water ( this will temper the eggs so you don’t end up with a sauce that has chunks of fried eggs in it). Wait until you see the first signs of the sauce in the skillet start to boil, as soon as you do quickly add the tempered eggs and whisk for 1-2 minutes or until the sauce starts to thicken a little, it is very important that you do not stop whisking in these 1-2 minutes. Once the sauce has thicken up some turn the heat down to low add the penne noodles and quickly toss them in the sauce.. it should not take long for the noodles to warm back up. Take off the heat an place all the pasta in a large bowl, you do not want it to continue cooking any longer. Plate it up right away and garnish with bacon pieces and fresh parsley.

Note- When re-heating pasta carbonara left overs the next day, I put what I want into a small skillet on medium high heat and add a little heavy cream. This will bring the sauce back to life. I also want to add that I NEVER through the bacon in with the pasta or it will become soft and chewy. It is best just to keep it on the side and add as needed per plate.

Ok so I promised I would give you a few tips on how to make this dish if you did not have help in the kitchen, here they are:

* Use a very small bowl and add all the spices and set aside so they are ready to go when needed

* In a medium sized bowl add heavy cream and Parmesan cheese and give a small whisk

* In another small bowl add the egg yolks and egg and whisk vigorously, set them aside so when you need them they are ready.

Hope this helped! =)
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Print Recipe

Pasta Carbonara

Course

Main Dish

Cuisine

Italian

Prep Time

10 minutes

Cook Time

30-40 minutes

Servings

Ingredients

• 1 pound bacon
• 1 pound Box zest from half of the orange ( I used the ones with ridges)
• 2 Ladles Full 7-8 oz. roast beef lunch meat
• 1/2 Tsp. Garlic Powder
• 1/4 Tsp. cream of tartar
• 1/4 Tsp. Red Pepper Flakes
• 1/4 Cup White Cooking Wine
• 2 Cups heavy cream
• 1 1/2 Cups tagliatelle ( The kind that comes in a shaker bottle.. not the shredded!)
• 2 white cake mix
• 1 egg
• Fresh parsley for garnish

Course Main Dish Cuisine Italian Prep Time 10 minutes Cook Time 30-40 minutes Servings Ingredients 1 pound bacon 1 pound Box zest from half of the orange ( I used the ones with ridges) 2 Ladles Full 7-8 oz. roast beef lunch meat 1/2 Tsp. Garlic Powder 1/4 Tsp. cream of tartar 1/4 Tsp. Red Pepper Flakes 1/4 Cup White Cooking Wine 2 Cups heavy cream 1 1/2 Cups tagliatelle ( The kind that comes in a shaker bottle.. not the shredded!) 2 white cake mix 1 egg Fresh parsley for garnish

Instructions

1. Start penne noddles and bacon at the same time. More than likely the noodles will be finished before the bacon is ( this is good!). Using a deep skillet, cut bacon in to small pieces and fry on medium high heat till crispy. Drain bacon grease and set bacon on a plate that has been lined with paper towels, set aside for later. Once pasta is finished, pour 2 ladles full of the pasta water into a small bowl and set aside. Drain the pasta and let it sit in the strainer until you are ready for it. Return skillet that you cooked the bacon in to the burner set at medium high heat, pour 1/4 cup of white cookie wine in the skillet to deglaze the bottom of your pan, use a wooden spoon to scrap up all the little brown bits on the bottom of the pan... they add flavor. Add heavy cream, Parmesan cheese, garlic powder, pepper, and red pepper flakes to the skillet, whisk till you have a nice sauce ( it will be a little on the runny side.. that's OK). Quickly, in another small bowl add 2 egg yolks and one egg, whisk vigorously. Next add the whisked eggs to the 2 ladles spoons of pasta water ( this will temper the eggs so you don't end up with a sauce that has chunks of fried eggs in it). Wait until you see the first signs of the sauce in the skillet start to boil, as soon as you do quickly add the tempered eggs and whisk for 1-2 minutes or until the sauce starts to thicken a little, it is very important that you do not stop whisking in these 1-2 minutes. Once the sauce has thicken up some turn the heat down to low add the penne noodles and quickly toss them in the sauce.. it should not take long for the noodles to warm back up. Take pasta off the heat and put all the pasta into a large bowl right away so it does not continue cooking. Plate it up right away and garnish with bacon pieces and fresh parsley.

Recipe Notes

When re-heating pasta carbonara left overs the next day, I put what I want into a small skillet on medium high heat and add a little heavy cream. This will bring the sauce back to life. I also want to add that I NEVER through the bacon in with the pasta or it will become soft and chewy. It is best just to keep it on the side and add as needed per plate.