Pasta Carbonara

from The Gathering of Friends, Vol. 3

Pasta, bacon, cream, is it possible to create a better sounding dish??  If you can think of one, please let me know.  However, I've yet to meet someone who has ever turned down this meal (except my mom, the vegan).  This recipe comes from a line of the best cookbooks ever, The Gathering of Friends.  I used spinach linguine instead of regular spaghetti to add some color and make it a tad heartier.  Also, I 1 1/2 this recipe when feeding 12.  The quantities listed are for 8 servings.  Enjoy!

I N G R E D I E N T S 

--1 lb bacon

--1 shallot

--4 cloves garlic

--20 oz. sphaghetti (I used De Cecco spinach linguine)

--4 eggs

--1/2 cup heavy whipping cream

--6 green onions

--1 cup. fresh Parmesan cheese

--salt and pepper, to taste

--Start by doing a little bit of prep work.  Fill a large pot with water and bring it to a boil.  For some reason this always takes a while to happen, so I always begin with this step.  Then begin chopping up a few things.  Namely your bacon.  I refrained from putting this as my screen saver.  With a sharp knife (or clean kitchen scissors!) slice bacon into 1-inch pieces.

--Next, peel your shallot and dice that up as well.

(if you have your garlic cloves, dice those up as well.  I have a jar of already diced garlic and it' s a life saver!)

--In a heavy pot, or deep saucepan, over medium heat, cook the shallots until they give off a nice aroma.

 --Next, add in the garlic and stir around so it doesn't burn.

 --Add in the bacon and stir occasionally until cooked, about 10 minutes.

 --Meanwhile, more prep work!  In a small bowl, beat the eggs and cream together and add in some salt and pepper.  Set aside.

 --Rinse off the green onions and dice up a pretty pile of them.  Either put them in a separate bowl (if you're entertaining picky eaters like I love doing), or set them aside to sprinkle in before serving.

 --Check back on that bacon that's making your home smell so divine.  Turn heat off the cooked bacon and let stand covered.

 --When the water has (finally) began bubbling, add in the pasta and cook al dente (with still a little bite to it) according to the box directions.  Then drain and place in a large serving dish.

 --Add in the bacon and all it's glorious drippings from the pot.  Once this is stirred, grab your bowl of egg and cream and pour that in while mixing the pasta.

 --This beautiful event occurs where the hot pasta cooks the egg/cream mixture and creates a thick beautiful covering over all the noodles.

 --Keep some parmesan and green onions on the side for adding more decadence to the pasta!  Ahh, if only bacon and cream counted as fruits and veggies.

XOXO