Spring Time Pepper Bacon Carbonara
The return of spring brings the Saturday farmer's market back to the riverfront and with it a bounty of fruits, veggies, and sustainably farmed meats. I thought this summer it would be fun to do a series of farmer's market recipes, seeing what I could devise from the seasonal selection. On my first trip to this year's Saturday market, I happened upon the most amazing thick-cut pepper bacon and a beautiful selection of sweet onions. With a refrigerator full of Angie's free-range fresh eggs and penne pasta in the pantry, a simple carbonara recipe seemed perfect. Enjoy!
Ingredients
- 6 slices thick cut pepper bacon, diced
- 2 medium sweet onions with green stems, white and light green parts diced
- 4 large eggs, room temperature
- 1 large handful Italian parsley, chopped
- 1 c. grated Parmesan cheese, plus extra for sprinkling
- 1 lb. dried penne pasta
- salt and pepper to taste
Heat a large pot of salted water and bring to a boil. Chop and prepare other ingredients while waiting for the water to boil. Crack eggs into a medium bowl and whisk together with grated Parmesan cheese. Set aside. When the water comes to a boil, add penne and cook to al dente, about 8 minutes. Drain cooked pasta, reserving about a cup of pasta cooking water.
Place chopped bacon into a large skillet and cook over medium-high heat until bacon begins to brown, 6-8 minutes. Before bacon become too crisp, remove from pan with a slotted spoon and place on a paper towel-lined plate, leaving fat reserved in the skillet. Return skillet to heat and add chopped onions. Season with a sprinkle of salt and pepper and cook over medium heat until onions begin to soften. Using about 1/4 c. of reserved pasta water de-glaze the pan, scrapping browned bits from pan. Set aside.
Slowly add about 1/2 c. of warmed pasta water to the beaten eggs, whisking together to incorporate and bring the temperature of the eggs up so that they won't curdle. Add cooked pasta to pan of onions and pour egg mixture over pasta. Return skillet to medium-low heat, stirring and cooking until egg mixture begins to cook. Add cooked bacon and chopped parsley to mixture. Season with salt and pepper. Serve with additional Parmesan cheese.
Autumn Chicken Carbonara
Here's one of my secrets of cooking- much of my inspiration comes from whatever is lying around in the refrigerator. In the case of this recipe, I happened to have four pieces of bacon and a pound of colorful and ripe heirloom tomatoes destined for something. BLTs? A nice idea, but I was (as I often am) in the mood for pasta and the presence of eggs and Parmesan cheese really got the wheels turning in my brain. A quick trip to Trader Joe's for pasta, Italian parsley, and two chicken breasts and a new recipe was born. I am a fan of one pot meals AND bacon, I hope you enjoy this fast, cheap, colorful meal as much as I did.
Ingredients
- 1 lb. penne pasta
- two boneless chicken breasts, cut into 1" chunks
- olive oil
- 4 slices bacon, chopped
- 1 yellow onion, peeled and diced
- 2 cloves garlic, peeled and minced
- 2 eggs, beaten
- 1 c. grated Parmesan cheese, plus extra for sprinkling
- 1 lb. heirloom tomatoes, cut into 1" chunks
- 1 handful chopped Italian parsley
- salt and pepper to taste
- a pinch of sugar
Boil pasta according to package directions to al dente (about 9 minutes) reserving 1/2 c. pasta cooking water.
Meanwhile, place diced bacon in a large Dutch oven. Cook over medium until cooked through, but not too crispy. Remove and drain on a paper towel lined plate. Reserve rendered bacon fat in Dutch oven and add onion and garlic. Cook over medium, stirring often until onions start to become translucent. If Dutch oven becomes dry, add a little olive oil. Add chicken to pot and cook over heat until meat is cooked through and no longer pink. Remove from heat.
Place beaten eggs in a medium bowl, slowly add 1/4 c. warm pasta cooking water to temper the eggs, beat in Parmesan cheese. Place warm pasta in the Dutch oven with chicken and onions, stir to combine, slowly add the egg and cheese mixture to the pasta. Stir to combine. The warm pasta will cook the egg mixture. Add tomatoes, parsley, bacon, and a pinch of sugar. Season to taste with salt and pepper and serve with an additional sprinkle of Parmesan cheese.
Matt Smith's Pants-Droppin' Carbonara with Yummy Asparagus and Bacon
So . . . entertaining a house full of boys tonight. What to do? What to do? As luck had it I just so happened to have a refrigerator full of unused bacon. Hungry boys + bacon = a successful meal. Matt Smith was coming over for video games and good times. Ahh . . . Matt Smith, the perpetual undergrad (8 years running) full of jokes and an appetite for life. For some reason Matt Smith has some weird joke about dropping his pants. Over our pre-dinner wine and snacks (homemade hummus with pita wedges and eggplant cheese toasts, duh) I promised I'd name this recipe after him. So here we go: Matt Smith's Pants-Droppin' Carbonara. He giggled with delight, by the way, at this title for the recipe. It comes together in a snap- a pasta dish light enough to be enjoyed as springtime freshness turns to the humidity of the fall. Enjoy!
Ingredients
- 6 sliced bacon, diced
- 3 large shallots, peeled and sliced crosswise
- 1 lb. asparagus, sliced crosswise into 2" bite-sized pieces
- salt and pepper to taste
- a good splash of dry white wine
- 8 oz. penne pasta
- 1 c. grated Parmesan cheese
- 2 eggs, room temperature
Place diced bacon in a large skillet over medium heat. Cook bacon until it starts to turn golden brown. Remove cooked bacon from skillet with a slotted spoon and drain on a paper towel-lined plate. Set aside. Scoop out excess bacon fat reserving about 3 Tbsp. in skillet. Return skillet to heat and add shallots. Cook over medium until shallots are softened and start to turn brown. Add asparagus to pan with a splash of wine. Cover and cook about 2 minutes until asparagus is bright green and tender-crisp. Turn heat to low to keep warm.
Meanwhile, boil a large pot of water and cook penne pasta to al dente according to package directions. While pasta is working, beat eggs in a medium bowl with grated Parmesan cheese until thoroughly combined. When pasta is cooked, drain, reserving 1/4 c. of cooking liquid. Slowly beat into egg mixture until combined. Add cooked pasta to asparagus and shallot mixture then pour egg and cheese mixture in. Heat over low to cook the raw egg. Add bacon to mixture and stir to combine. Divide among four plates and sprinkle with extra Parmesan cheese. It's super fast, easy, and good in your face. I hope you like it! By the way, Matt Smith had two helpings. Granted, this is a boy who likes food in his face . . . but still . . . I think he liked it!
Ingredients
Place chopped bacon into a large skillet and cook over medium-high heat until bacon begins to brown, 6-8 minutes. Before bacon become too crisp, remove from pan with a slotted spoon and place on a paper towel-lined plate, leaving fat reserved in the skillet. Return skillet to heat and add chopped onions. Season with a sprinkle of salt and pepper and cook over medium heat until onions begin to soften. Using about 1/4 c. of reserved pasta water de-glaze the pan, scrapping browned bits from pan. Set aside. 
Slowly add about 1/2 c. of warmed pasta water to the beaten eggs, whisking together to incorporate and bring the temperature of the eggs up so that they won't curdle. Add cooked pasta to pan of onions and pour egg mixture over pasta. Return skillet to medium-low heat, stirring and cooking until egg mixture begins to cook. Add cooked bacon and chopped parsley to mixture. Season with salt and pepper. Serve with additional Parmesan cheese. 
