Italian Bacon and Eggs
One of the rules in this house is that, on your birthday, you can have whatever you want to eat, and all the rules get ignored.
As you can see, that rule has already applied once today in regards to the birthday cake.
It's even more out of mind for dinner.
As a disclaimer--I don't make this often. In fact, I almost never do. But that's not because it isn't good--it's because it is EXTRAORDINARY...and extraordinarily bad for you.
The Italians are a diabolical lot when it comes to food--and it's one of the reasons why I adore them, and their cuisine. It is rare that you will find a richer, more artery clogging and fat packing dish than carbonara, but it was devised back in the day when people worked a lot harder than they do these days, and no doubt had more opportunity to work off the calories packed into this dish than one does these days (in fact, the name carbonara refers to the fact that it was often a meal that women cooked for their miner husbands--and you know you can work off an awful lot of calories chopping coal out of the ground).
I love the story behind this recipe. It's a recipe that I got from Giada deLaurentiis, but apparently she got the recipe, or at least the idea for it, from Mario Batali's father.
Cinnamon-Pancetta Carbonara
1/4 lb pancetta, chopped
4 slices bacon (I used applewood smoked), chopped
1 teaspoon (I use more) cinnamon
2 cups heavy cream
6 large egg yolks
1 1/2 cups grated parmesan cheese
1 lb fettucine
Salt and pepper to taste (I never use salt in this dish, but you might like more)
I LOVE pancetta--love, love LOVE it. And when it's mixed up with regular bacon, you can't go wrong.
Chop these and put them in a pan to brown. When the bacons are almost fully browned, sprinkle it with cinnamon and toss...
Cook until thoroughly browned.
Assemble the rest of your ingredients and put a large pot of water on to boil for the pasta.
When the bacon is cooked, add the cream, eggs and cheese...
...and stir them till combined and thickened.
Cook the fettucine according to package directions, and add it to the sauce...
Toss with tongs until all the pasta is thickly coated...
Plate LIGHTLY--it's so incredibly rich, and you can always come back for seconds...
Yeah--it's just as decadently good as it sounds.
Guilt has never tasted this delicious.
As you can see, that rule has already applied once today in regards to the birthday cake.
It's even more out of mind for dinner.
As a disclaimer--I don't make this often. In fact, I almost never do. But that's not because it isn't good--it's because it is EXTRAORDINARY...and extraordinarily bad for you.
The Italians are a diabolical lot when it comes to food--and it's one of the reasons why I adore them, and their cuisine. It is rare that you will find a richer, more artery clogging and fat packing dish than carbonara, but it was devised back in the day when people worked a lot harder than they do these days, and no doubt had more opportunity to work off the calories packed into this dish than one does these days (in fact, the name carbonara refers to the fact that it was often a meal that women cooked for their miner husbands--and you know you can work off an awful lot of calories chopping coal out of the ground).
I love the story behind this recipe. It's a recipe that I got from Giada deLaurentiis, but apparently she got the recipe, or at least the idea for it, from Mario Batali's father.
Cinnamon-Pancetta Carbonara
1/4 lb pancetta, chopped
4 slices bacon (I used applewood smoked), chopped
1 teaspoon (I use more) cinnamon
2 cups heavy cream
6 large egg yolks
1 1/2 cups grated parmesan cheese
1 lb fettucine
Salt and pepper to taste (I never use salt in this dish, but you might like more)
I LOVE pancetta--love, love LOVE it. And when it's mixed up with regular bacon, you can't go wrong.
Chop these and put them in a pan to brown. When the bacons are almost fully browned, sprinkle it with cinnamon and toss...
Cook until thoroughly browned.
Assemble the rest of your ingredients and put a large pot of water on to boil for the pasta.
When the bacon is cooked, add the cream, eggs and cheese...
...and stir them till combined and thickened.
Cook the fettucine according to package directions, and add it to the sauce...
Toss with tongs until all the pasta is thickly coated...
Plate LIGHTLY--it's so incredibly rich, and you can always come back for seconds...
Yeah--it's just as decadently good as it sounds.
Guilt has never tasted this delicious.