Pasta Carbonara

Pasta Carbonara is one of my favorite pasta dishes. It's rich and flavorful without feeling heavy.   You'll often time see it at restaurants where it includes green peas. I love it with peas, I love it without but the more traditional way to prepare Carbonara is without.  However you serve it, this dish is sure to fill you up and still leave you wanting more!



Tips:

If you do wish to add peas, add 1/2 cup of thawed and cooked/steamed frozen peas just before adding the pasta. When I do add peas, I actually like them cold (not frozen) instead of warm.
If you can't find or don't wish to use pancetta, try thick cut bacon that has been diced instead. You may need to cook it slightly longer though.
You can add more or less red pepper flakes according to your tastes. We like it kind of spicy, so I will actually use 1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes and 1/8 teaspoon of cayenne pepper.
Make sure you toss the pasta quickly once the egg mixture is added. The residual/radiant heat from the pasta and skillet will cook the eggs but you don't want them to "scramble".






Pasta Carbonara



16oz pasta

1/4 cup olive oil

2 tablespoons minced garlic

1/2 cup chicken stock

2 egg yolks

1/4 cup Parmesan cheese

1 tablespoon cream

1 tablespoon parsley

salt and pepper to taste





In a large skillet, add olive oil and heat for 2-3 minutes over medium heat. Add pancetta, garlic and red pepper flakes. Cook for 5 minutes and add chicken stock. Stir to incorporate the drippings from the pancetta into the stock.

In a small bowl, beat the egg yolks and add cream, parmesan, parsley and salt and pepper. Set aside.

Cook the pasta a large pot of boiling water until done (1-2 minutes for fresh pasta, 7-10 minutes for dried pasta).

Add a couple of tablespoons of the boiling pasta water to the beaten egg mixture to temper (This prevents the eggs from scrambling)



Remove skillet with pancetta from heat. Drain pasta and add to skillet with pancetta. Pour the egg mixture over the pasta and toss everything to together. Add additional Parmesan, salt and pepper and parsley to garnish if desired. Serve immediately.