Compliments of David’s Restaurants
Fettuccine Carbonara
About a year ago I was dining in a New York City Italian restaurant with five chef friends. Someone ordered the Spaghetti Carbonara as an appetizer and shared it with the table. It was so remarkable that after we all finished our dinners we chose to order another bowl of the Carbonara to share as our dessert.
I’ve been working on my Carbonara and I think mine is just as good as the one I ate in New York that night—maybe even better.
I hope you try it and decide.
Buon appetito!
David
Fettuccine Carbonara
Yield: 2 dinner portions
Ingredients:
1 1/2 T Extra virgin olive oil
3 oz Slab bacon or pancetta, cut into lardons
2 Portions (8 oz) dry pasta – fettuccine or spaghetti are great for this recipe
1 Egg
2 Egg yolks
1C Grated Cheese - Divided Take out 2 T for garnish
• I use a micro plane
• I like a half & half combination of Parmigiano-Reggiano and Pecorino Romano
• This is where you want to spend your money – high quality cheese makes all the difference
3 T Chopped fresh parsley, divided—2 T for sauce 1 T for garnish
2 T Heavy cream
1/2 t Fresh black pepper
3/4 t Kosher or sea salt
1 C Reserved pasta cooking water
Method of preparation:
- Cook the bacon lardons in the olive oil until cooked as much as you want it cooked – I like it pretty soft but a lot of people like it really crispy.
- Boil the pasta in slightly salted water – cook al dente – 7-8 minutes should do it.Put the bacon and the fat from the pan into a large mixing bowl for the sauce.Add egg, egg yolk, grated cheese, heavy cream, parsley and the salt and pepper to the mixing bowl.
- Scoop out a cup of the pasta water and set aside before draining the pasta.
- Add 4 T of the reserved pasta water to the mixing bowl of sauce and mix well, then add the drained pasta to the sauce and toss
- Taste and adjust with salt, pepper and pasta cooking water
- Plate pasta and garnish with additional Parmesan and parsley.
This recipe is for personal use and enjoyment only.