One of our favorite followers, Chris from Key West, has asked us to show him how we make our Pasta Carbonara! The thing is… that he actually asked us this a couple of months ago! We feel awful that it took so long to get up here, but truthfully this is not a dish for the diet conscious! So we waited to make it for when we had guests over to share the indulgence!
Here in the video, Harris shows you how to make a perfect Pasta Carbonara! See below for the recipe!
While our recipe calls for Hog Jowl, aka Guanciale at the Italian market, you can use Pancetta or a quality bacon.
Ingredients
(Serves four)
3 – tablespoons Extra-Virgin Olive Oil
8 ounces Guanciale (which is cured pork jowl) or Pancetta or good Bacon
1 pound Spaghetti or pasta of choice
1 ¼ cups freshly grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese
4 – Large Eggs (room temperature)
Freshly ground Black Pepper
2 – tablespoons Kosher Salt
Frozen peas (Optional)
Directions
The Dads Tip: Guanciale is our first choice, but it may be difficult to find. Try your local pork butcher. Also, adding half the olive oil at the end adds that fresh olive oil flavor!
Bring 6 quarts of water to boil in a large pot and add 2 Tablespoons salt to the pasta water. Cook the spaghetti/pasta in the boiling water until just al dente.
Meanwhile, combine half the olive oil and bacon/pancetta in a 12- to 14-inch skillet on medium heat. Cook until the bacon/pancetta has rendered its fat and is crispy and golden. Place cooked pork on paper towels to drain, set aside. Retain about half of the dripping for coating the cooked pasta.
In a bowl, mix together the cheese, eggs, and pepper until smooth. We like to add just a little bit of the hot pasta water to help temper the egg mixture. This will prevent the eggs from cooking when added to the hot pasta.
When the pasta is done, reserve a cup of the pasta water. Drain the pasta and place it in a bowl or back into the pot. While the pasta is still really hot, slowly drizzle in the egg mixture, stirring the pasta the whole time. The sauce will become very creamy as it coats the pasta. If you need to loosen it up a bit, you can add some of the reserved pasta water.
Now add the peas (optional) and crispy bacon to the mixture.
Serve immediately and sprinkle the top with remaining Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese!
Love this recipe? Follow us and share it with your friends! Let us know how it came out and send us some pictures! Questions? Ask The Dads in the comments or e-mail: HarrisandDave@gmail.com