Carbonara is one of my favorite dishes of all time. It's great winter comfort food but still not too heavy (for me) to eat in the summer. Any time I make this for someone they end up asking for the recipe. I also must stress that this recipe is very forgiving, so make alterations for your personal taste. I for one tend to make it with more bacon. You can also substitute milk for the cream in a pinch, or just leave it your all together.
Ingredients
- 1 lb Linguini
- 1/2 lb Thick Sliced Bacon
- 4-6 Cloves of garlic, minced
- 1-2 Tablespoons Olive Oil
- 2 Eggs
- 2/3 cup Grated cheese (parmesan, pecorino, or romano or all three)
- 1/3 cup White wine
- 1 cup Heavy cream
- Black Pepper
Optional Additions
- 1/2 lbs Frozen or fresh peas
- 8-10 Basil leaves, chiffonaded
Directions
Start a large pot of salted water to cook your pasta. In the dish that will be your serving dish, beat the eggs. Mix in the cheese and pepper. This mixture should be fairly thick, add more cheese if you wish. Set aside. Slice the bacon in to small pieces (think Lardons). Render the bacon in a large saute pan over medium heat until the bacon is crisp, draining the excess fat as needed. When the bacon is almost done add your pasta to your boiling water. Add the olive oil and garlic to the bacon. Cook 2-3 minutes, be careful not to the let the garlic burn. Deglaze the pan with the white wine, simmer until the wine has reduced by about a third. Add the cream and return to a simmer. Cook until the cream it warmed through. Transfer the pasta using a pasta fork from the water to the pan with the bacon, mix. Dump the pasta ontop of the egg and cheese mixture you set aside. Mix throughly allowing the heat from the pasta to cook the eggs. Serve warm.
Notes
Here are some hints I picked up over the years to make this dish easier to prepare and cook.
- Partially freeze the bacon before you slice it. This make the process significantly easier.
- I normally add the peas and basil right before I add the cream.
- Do not drain the pasta, you are just going to have to wash that strainer and whatever liquid is still on the pasta will help with the sauce.
