Simple and Savoury

Ohh - I know it's been forever.  It's been a little crazy around here.  No crazier than anybody else, of course, I am just less organized.  The meals at home have suffered tremendously - I haven't made anything exciting in a while.  Then I stumbled across an old recipe on ABCD Designs Blog.   Amy posted a recipe for a traditional Italian carbonara, and I suddenly remembered when my mother used to make it for us.  It was exaxtly what I needed  so I picked up some pancetta, and tossed in the fridge for a rainy day.   Last night, I whipped it up in no time and it was perfect.  Delicious savoury, and a perfect Sunday evening meal.

Pasta Carbonara is traditionally prepared with eggs, pancetta and parmigianno.  Some recipes add cream, but I think it is just too heavy.  The pancetta, adds enough heartiness to this dish   Here is the recipe that Amy has on her blog, and the one I made last night.  I found the measurements to be perfectly balanced.  

Spaghetti Carbonara Recipe: 

Ruth Reichl’s via ABCD Designs

Note:  Using fresh ingredients for this recipe will enhance the flavours..  I don't always have organic eggs on hand, but good quality pancetta is a must, and real parmigianno as well.  As Amy also mentions, when you have so few ingredients, the quality will make the difference.  

Ingredients:

1 pound spaghetti
1/4 to 1/2 pound thickly sliced good quality bacon or pancetta
2 cloves garlic, peeled
2 large eggs
Black pepper
1/2 cup grated Parmigiano cheese, plus extra for the table
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Method:

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Bring a large pot of salted water to boil. When the water boils, throw the spaghetti in. Dried spaghetti takes 9 to 10 minutes to cook. The sauce is easy enough to prepare in that amount of time.
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Cut the bacon crosswise into pieces about 1/2 inch wide. Place in a skillet and cook for about 2 minutes. The fat will begin to render. At that point, add the two whole cloves of garlic and cook another 5 minutes or so, until the edges of the bacon just begin to get crisp. Do not overcook the bacon. If it becomes too crisp it won’t meld with the pasta. Break the eggs into the bowl you will serve the pasta in. Beat them with a fork. Grind pepper into the bowl with the raw eggs.
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When it is cooked, drain the pasta and immediately throw it into the beaten eggs. Mix thoroughly. The heat of the spaghetti will cook the eggs and turn them into a sauce. Remove the garlic from the bacon pan. Toss the bacon with most of its fat into the pasta, toss again, add cheese and serve.

Enjoy!
 
Vitania