Pasta Alla Carbonara

A quick and delicious pasta. And unlike many carbonara recipes, this one is not too rich. It’s light and delicious and full of flavor.

Pasta Alla Carbonara

Makes 4 servings. Recipe from Epicurious.

INGREDIENTS
5 oz bacon or pancetta
1 medium onion, finely chopped
1/4 cup dry white wine
1 lb pasta (any kind would work)
3 large eggs
1 1/2 oz Parmigiano-Reggiano, finely grated (3/4 cup)
3/4 oz Pecorino Romano, finely grated (1/3 cup)
1 teaspoon coarsely ground black pepper
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 cup frozen peas, thawed and lightly steamed

DIRECTIONS
Cut bacon or pancetta into 1/3-inch dice, then cook in a deep 12-inch heavy skillet over moderate heat, stirring, until fat begins to render, 1 to 2 minutes. Add onion and cook, stirring occasionally, until onion is golden, about 10 minutes. Add wine and boil until reduced by half, 1 to 2 minutes.

Cook pasta in a 6- to 8-quart pot of boiling salted water until al dente.

While pasta is cooking, whisk together eggs, Parmigiano-Reggiano , Pecorino Romano (1/3 cup), 1 teaspoon coarsely ground black pepper, and 1/4 teaspoon salt in a small bowl.

Drain spaghetti in a colander and add to onion mixture, then toss with tongs over moderate heat until coated. Remove from heat and add egg mixture and peas, tossing to combine. Serve immediately.

Cooks’ note:
The eggs in this recipe will not be fully cooked, which may be of concern if there is a problem with salmonella in your area.

Carbonara ala Leftovers

After a week of iffy food, who would’ve thunk that the end of the week leftovers meal would be the best one? Go figure!

Carbonara ala Leftovers

Basically this recipe was the same as this one, with a few small changes.
- Spinach instead of peas. We added about half a bag of baby spinach (leftover from our Roasted Veggie Salad) right at the end of the cooking, so it just slightly wilted.
- Added a few sprigs of fresh thyme in with the onions and bacon.

Carbonara is a great leftovers recipe. As long as you have a few slices of bacon, eggs, and some white wine lying around, you can do it, and throw in whatever else you have left in the fridge. Like I said, carbonara ala leftovers!

We also made a leftovers bruschetta, where we basically tossed the leftover veggies from the same Roasted Veggie Salad with some Parmesan, balsamic, and seasoning. Should have realized that if they didn’t taste good the first time they wouldn’t taste good the second time either. Oh well!