Bbbbrrrrrr.
Temperatures in the teens and I do not get along. I'm the kind of girl that wears ballet flats without socks when there's a foot of snow on the ground just because I like to kick off my shoes and hop around barefoot as soon as I get indoors. Sensible? No. But what can I say, I was made for the summer and sunshine and flip flops. My feet need to be free! Shoe shopping, to this day, is still my least favorite thing to do in the world. Right in front of shopping for pants.
But as I was saying. It's cold. And I don't dress appropriately. So when I was making dinner last night, I wanted something that was going to warm me right down to my toes, and something that wouldn't require a trip out in the cold to get groceries. Sitting in my fridge were some locally raised eggs and bacon which I purchased at Food Fantasies last week, and there's only one thing you can do with eggs and bacon.
Make breakfast.
But I didn't do that.
I did the only second thing that you can and must do at some point in your life with eggs and bacon, make Pasta alla Carbonara. Being snowed in isn't such a bad thing if you get to wrap yourself in a cozy sweater and tuck into this steamy little bowl of goodness.
Temperatures in the teens and I do not get along. I'm the kind of girl that wears ballet flats without socks when there's a foot of snow on the ground just because I like to kick off my shoes and hop around barefoot as soon as I get indoors. Sensible? No. But what can I say, I was made for the summer and sunshine and flip flops. My feet need to be free! Shoe shopping, to this day, is still my least favorite thing to do in the world. Right in front of shopping for pants.
But as I was saying. It's cold. And I don't dress appropriately. So when I was making dinner last night, I wanted something that was going to warm me right down to my toes, and something that wouldn't require a trip out in the cold to get groceries. Sitting in my fridge were some locally raised eggs and bacon which I purchased at Food Fantasies last week, and there's only one thing you can do with eggs and bacon.
Make breakfast.
But I didn't do that.
I did the only second thing that you can and must do at some point in your life with eggs and bacon, make Pasta alla Carbonara. Being snowed in isn't such a bad thing if you get to wrap yourself in a cozy sweater and tuck into this steamy little bowl of goodness.
The most brilliant part of pasta alla carbonara is that the ingredient list is short and you can whip it up in less than 30 minutes.
Ingredients
Ingredients
- 2 eggs (Mine were from PrairiErth Farms)
- 3 ounces parmesan cheese
- 1/2 cup loosely packed flat-leaf parsley leaves (or a tablespoon of dried)
- 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper, plus more for garnish
- 1/4 lb. thick cut bacon (Mine was from Triple S Farms)
- 2 cloves garlic
- 1 teaspoon olive oil
- 1/2 cup dry white wine (or chicken stock, or heavy whipping cream)
- 1 tablespoon salt
- 1 lb whole wheat spaghetti (or your noodle of choice)
- Crack eggs into a large bowl and beat lightly. Finely shred or grate cheese, add 1/2 cup to eggs, and set the rest aside. Finely chop fresh parsley and add to eggs. Add pepper and whisk to combine well. Set aside.
- Cut bacon into 1/4-in.-thick slices. Peel and chop garlic and set aside. Heat olive oil in a small frying pan over medium-high heat. Add bacon. While bacon is cooking put a large pot of water on a second burner an bring to a boil.
- Once the water is boiling add in the salt and pasta noodles. Cook the pasta until it al dente (not quite done), which takes about 8 minutes or so.
- Keep an eye on the bacon, stirring occasionally, until it is nice and toasty brown. Add garlic to the bacon and cook, stirring, until fragrant, about 1 minute. Drain off all but about 1 tablespoon of the bacon fat (or leave it in there if you want to be bad...but oh so good) Add wine and cook until liquid is reduced by about half. If you can find local white wine, even better! I used a reisling in my dish and loved the very subtle sweetness. Once it is reduced, remove from heat and set aside.
- Once the pasta is cooked, drain well and immediately pour pasta into bowl with egg mixture. Toss to thoroughly coat pasta with egg mixture (the heat from the pasta will partly cook the egg and melt the cheese). Pour bacon mixture on top of pasta and toss to combine thoroughly. Sprinkle with remaining cheese and pepper to taste. Serve immediately.
The key ingredients
I couldn't get local parmesan, but I did find parmesan cheese from Wisconsin...so kinda local...and bonus, it was less expensive than the Italian version.
Farm fresh eggs from PrairiErth Farms.
Whole wheat pasta really works great in this dish as it can stand up to the bold flavors of the bacon and parmesan. And with 9 grams of protein per serving, your getting a lot of bang for you buck.
Little slices of heaven. I don't know what they're feeding those porkers, but that was the best bacon of my life.
Cooking with wine makes me feel fine :)
Voila! Perfection on a plate.
The other wonderful thing about this recipe is that you can add in tons of variations. Throw in some fresh spinach with the bacon at the last minute or some frozen peas or green beans that you saved from your garden in the summer (you clever thing). Add a dash of red chili flakes to spice it up or substitute fresh basil leaves for the parsley. And there you have it, the perfect comfort food for a chilly evening. Dress it up by serving it with a green salad and a glass of wine and you've got an impressive dish for date night...Valentine's day is coming up ya know! Don't worry, I'm looking out for you ;)
Also don't leave yourself alone with this dish, it just might mysteriously disappear. And then you'll have to explain to your sister that you accidentally ate the half that you were saving for her. Just saying...it's that good.
Note: The heat from the hot pasta partly cooks the eggs so it is important to use very fresh eggs.
Note: This reecipe was adapted from MyRecipes
Also don't leave yourself alone with this dish, it just might mysteriously disappear. And then you'll have to explain to your sister that you accidentally ate the half that you were saving for her. Just saying...it's that good.
Note: The heat from the hot pasta partly cooks the eggs so it is important to use very fresh eggs.
Note: This reecipe was adapted from MyRecipes