Sunday, December 14, 2008

Bacon and Eggs...for Dinner

You have to love an email that says, "...We have 1000 pounds of organic, heirloom Berkshire hog bacon for sale." An email two weeks ago from the good folks at Swinery Meats (AKA Culinary Communion) said just that. Well, I picked up my bacon last week and let me tell you...it's divine.

I am no stranger to good bacon, but I am pretty content with thick-cut bacon from Hemplers that I usually pick-up. This fancy-pants bacon is great stuff though. The fat is almost buttery. It isn't smoked as much as typical bacon either, so it has a nice mild sweetness to it.

The next day, I fried up some bacon before work to use for a lunchtime BLT. Yes, some managed to get eaten straight away, before I even left the house for the office. Other than using bacon for weekend breakfasts, we probably use bacon the most in Pasta Carbonara.

Describing this dish doesn't really do it justice - it's just pasta tossed with bacon and eggs. The trick is to slowly temper the egg mixture into the hot pasta so that rather than scrambled eggs you get a thick, velvety, custard-like sauce coating the eggs.

We made Pasta Carbonara with our friends Jason & Dana when we visited them in Chicago over Thanksgiving. They loved it and were happy to learn how quick and easy it is to make. I likened it to that old adage, "teach a man to fish, feed him for a day...," because once you learn this dish you'll eat well for many years to come.

You start with a few simple, quality ingredients: pasta, parmigiano, eggs, cream and bacon. The better the ingredients the better the end result, so get good bacon, good quality eggs and real parmigiano.
Pasta Carbonara
Serves 2

1/2 pound pasta (we prefer Barilla Linguine)
4 slices bacon (cut into 1/2 inch pieces)
1 clove of garlic, sliced thick
2 tsp olive oil
1/4 cup dry vermouth
2 eggs
1/4 cup of heavy cream
1/2 cup grated parmigiano
Salt & fresh ground pepper

Bring 4-5 quarts of salted water to a boil. While the water is heating, heat olive oil in a non-stick skillet on medium-high heat. Add the bacon and garlic and brown. Be careful not to burn the garlic. Once the garlic is browned, remove it and discard. Allow the bacon to brown until nearly crisp, then add the vermouth. Simmer until the vermouth is reduced by about half. Remove the skillet from the heat.

In a small mixing bowl, gently whisk the eggs, cream and about 1/4 cup of the parmigiano until just combined. Add about 1/4 teaspoon of salt and 1/2 teaspoon of fresh ground pepper.

Once the pasta is cooked to al dente, drain and stir the hot pasta into the skillet with the garlicky-bacon mixture. Toss to cool off the pasta just slightly. Add in the egg/cream mixture and toss to coat. Season to taste (go wild with the pepper, it makes the dish). Serve topped with more freshly grated parmigiano.

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