New Recipe, but same old Andrew
As the family knows, pasta is my favorite food and my favorite pasta dish is Spaghetti Carbonara. I love it and it is my preferred dish for Andrew pasta night. Pasta night only takes place when I am not dining with Deb, who frowns upon spaghetti carbonara. I am a carbonara connoisseur. Deb is building homes this week, so last night was pasta night. Good times. I tried a new, self developed variation gleaned from my worldly travels. I made is Spanish style. Here is the recipe.
1 pound whole wheat pasta (really all we eat anymore)
1/2 pound jamon serrano (instead of bacon or pancetta)
1 cup of manchego cheese, grated, plus more for sprinkles
2 smallish garlic cloves (optional)
4 eggs
1/2 cup of pinot grigio
Sea salt and fresh ground black pepper
Side of pecans and olives for munching during cooking so I do not gorge on pasta.
Cook pasta as normal being sure to reserve some pasta water before draining (this eliminates the need for cream allowing the taste of eggs and cheese to shine through, also healthier). Chop up jamon and saute with olive oil, adding the wine after the jamon has become crisp. Meanwhile, mix eggs and cheese in a smallish bowl and add finely diced or pressed garlic, a little salt and generous amount of pepper. When the pasta is done, quickly drain and put into large bowl. Mix the jamon, wine, and leftover olive oil into the pasta. Toss to coat well for roughly a minute and then add the egg mix and continue to mix until evenly distributed. Add splashes of the pasta water to achieve a sauce consistency and not too dry. Add more cheese and pepper as you see fit.
Recipe notes: I really liked it, and it was my first attempt at fusion. A subtle deviation from the classic with pancetta or its American brother with bacon. I really liked that jamon serrano was lean, so there was not excess fat. Sometimes, I get fancy, adding onions or walnuts/pecans to carbonara, but with this recipe I wanted the Spanish to really come out. The recipe would go well with a dry white wine. The trick with pasta is to not have too much sauce, you just want the pasta coated, not swimming, so 3 eggs may work. Please do not worry, there is a substantial amount of left overs.
1 pound whole wheat pasta (really all we eat anymore)
1/2 pound jamon serrano (instead of bacon or pancetta)
1 cup of manchego cheese, grated, plus more for sprinkles
2 smallish garlic cloves (optional)
4 eggs
1/2 cup of pinot grigio
Sea salt and fresh ground black pepper
Side of pecans and olives for munching during cooking so I do not gorge on pasta.
Cook pasta as normal being sure to reserve some pasta water before draining (this eliminates the need for cream allowing the taste of eggs and cheese to shine through, also healthier). Chop up jamon and saute with olive oil, adding the wine after the jamon has become crisp. Meanwhile, mix eggs and cheese in a smallish bowl and add finely diced or pressed garlic, a little salt and generous amount of pepper. When the pasta is done, quickly drain and put into large bowl. Mix the jamon, wine, and leftover olive oil into the pasta. Toss to coat well for roughly a minute and then add the egg mix and continue to mix until evenly distributed. Add splashes of the pasta water to achieve a sauce consistency and not too dry. Add more cheese and pepper as you see fit.
Recipe notes: I really liked it, and it was my first attempt at fusion. A subtle deviation from the classic with pancetta or its American brother with bacon. I really liked that jamon serrano was lean, so there was not excess fat. Sometimes, I get fancy, adding onions or walnuts/pecans to carbonara, but with this recipe I wanted the Spanish to really come out. The recipe would go well with a dry white wine. The trick with pasta is to not have too much sauce, you just want the pasta coated, not swimming, so 3 eggs may work. Please do not worry, there is a substantial amount of left overs.
posted by Anonymous at 10:20 AM
2 Comments:
After careful consideration, I am not sure that the higher price of manchego and jamon serrano warrant a regular appearance of this variation. Serrano is more than twice the cost of pancetta and 6 times the cost of good American bacon.
Sounds intriguing. We tried your technique with the toasted pecans, by the way, and it was delicious.
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