Pancetta Spaghetti Carbonara

Recipe adapted from:  tastydesu 

 

Ever since Shane tried the chicken carbonara sandwich at Quizno’s, all I have to do is mention the word “carbonara” and he’s down with it.  I was super excited to try this recipe.  If you guys could only see what my desk looks like – about half of it is covered with recipe printouts that I can’t wait to try 🙂  Even though I’m not a huge pancetta fan, this was very simple and delicious! 

Ingredients

 

  

As you can see, I chose to trim most of the fat off the pancetta to make it a little bit healthier.  That did leave me with less than a 1/2 lb, but pancetta has enough flavor that a little bit goes a long ways.  That’s my opinion at least, but you can definitely leave it whole if you want to. 

Cooking the pancetta

  

Toss it up!

Ingredients: 

• 1/2 lb pancetta (about 1/2 inch thick slice)
• 4 cloves of garlic
• 3 tbsp EVOO
• 1/4 cup dry white wine
• 2 large eggs (lightly beaten with a fork)
• 1/4 cup romano cheese
• 1/2 cup parmesan cheese
• Freshly ground black pepper
• 1 1/4 lbs pasta (I just used 1 box of spaghetti)

Directions: 

1. Boil and prepare your pasta by following the al dente directions on the package.
2. While the pasta is boiling, cut the pancetta into approx 1/4 inch cubes.
3. Heat olive oil over medium-high heat in a large pan.
4. Remove and discard the garlic skins, but leave the cloves whole.
5. Saute your garlic in the oil until the garlic turns a nice golden color.  Remove and discard garlic cloves.
6. Put the pancetta into the seasoned oil and cook for about 2 minutes (until it begins to crisp around the edges).
7. Add the white wine and let simmer for 2 minutes.  Turn off stove and remove pan from heat.
8. Because I couldn’t bring myself to get over the “raw egg” thought, I added my eggs to the pan at this point.  Keep stirring and moving the liquid around to prevent the eggs from scrambling though.  A little bit of egg texture is ok & it will blend right into the pasta.
9. Drain cooked pasta (do not rinse) and add to your serving bowl.  Combine with your cheeses, a liberal grinding of pepper, and top with the entire contents of your pancetta pan.
10. Use a pair of tongs to toss the pasta and evenly coat it with the sauce mixture.  Serve immediately.

 

 

Next time I make this ————– I’m going to try it with bacon!!  And… I think I’ll go for the more American version and add in some cream to the sauce.