I love my new job. Love love love love it. But I am currently keeping my head just above water in the catch-up game. Add to that the fact that I am moving at the end of the month and you’ve got one stressed-out lady, so I haven’t been able to cook as much as I’d like. I was invited to a local chefs’ dinner this evening, but I didn’t get home until 7 and I was a little bummed about missing it. The theme was Italian and it got me in the mood for pasta, so I decided to try a favorite of mine: carbonara.
Carbonara is a bacon, egg, and cheese pasta dish (no cream traditionally, contrary to what a lot of fake-o Italian restaurants will try to pass off as carbonara). How could you NOT like it?? Any long pasta will do but I used my personal favorite, which is pappardelle (a very thin, wide egg pasta). Usually you would deglaze the bacon pan with a stock or wine, buuuuuut this was very last minute and I realized too late that I didn’t have either. What I thought was chicken stock in my fridge was actually seafood stock… no bueno. Enter the beer! I am very pro cooking (and baking!) (and drinking!!) with beer, so I improvised with a bottle of Liberty Ale I had in the fridge. Winning! I’m gearing up for Macon Beer Fest on the 24th, so beer is ever present in my fridge.
- 2 or 3 strips thick-cut bacon (I’m a huge fan of the Black Forest bacon from Fresh Market), chunked
- 1/2 cup finely chopped Vidalia onion
- a bottle o’beer (light, not too hoppy)
- 1 cup grated parmesan
- 2 egg yolks
- black pepper to taste
- pastaaaaaaaaa
Cook up your bacon in a skillet that will be large enough to accommodate all the pasta in the end.
gratuitous bacon shot
Once a suitable amount of fat has been rendered, throw in your onions and soften them for a few minutes. Add the beer, scrape up all the bacon goodness from the pan, and bring to a boil. Let it reduce by about half.
Cook your pasta to your liking. Add the pasta to the bacony sauce along with a bit of the pasta water to bind it all together. Remove the skillet from the heat and quickly stir in the yolks one at a time. The heat from the pasta will be plenty to cook them appropriately. Mix in the cheese and black pepper, and plate it up! Save room for seconds…
Cheers!
Also, in a food related flashback, on Saturday my friends Stacey, Molly, and I hit up one of our favorite establishments (Dovetail, holla!) for a much-needed ladies night. Please look at this quail risotto. Thank you.
Cooking Up Happy 