WFAA is partnering with local chefs to find out how to make the most out of quarantine cooking. Our mission is to offer up tasty recipes with minimal ingredients that won't break the bank.
Thursday's recipe is "pasta carbonara" from Chef Luke Rogers of Savor in Klyde Warren Park.
Rogers says carbonara is the ultimate comfort food that's made of ingredients you probably already have on hand, like pasta, bacon, parmesan, and eggs.
Recipe:
• 2 tbsp. kosher salt
• 4 oz. guanciale, pancetta or bacon
• 4 oz. parmesan
• 4 egg yolks
• 2 eggs
• 1 tsp black pepper
• 2 tbsp olive oil
• 1 lb. spaghetti, bucatini, or pasta of your choice
Directions:
Bring 6 qt. water to boil in a large pot, heat on high. When water starts to steam, add 3 tbsp. salt.
While you are waiting on the water, get the rest of the ingredients ready.
Finely grate 4 oz. Parmesan cheese (or use what you have) and set aside 25% of the cheese for later.
For the sauce:
Whisk 4 egg yolks and 2 whole eggs in a medium bowl until completely mixed, then stir in the remaining 25% of the cheese. Add black pepper.
Set to the side.
Heat 2 tbsp. oil in a large pot over medium. Add bacon and cook, stirring occasionally, until browning and crispy around the edges, it takes 5 minutes or so.
Remove pot from heat. Using a wooden spoon, fish out the bacon and transfer to a small bowl. Pour bacon fat into a heat resistant measuring cup, then add back about 3 Tbsp. to pot. Discard any remaining fat.
Cook 1 lb. pasta in boiling water, stirring occasionally. Just before pasta is finished, scoop out 1¾ cups pasta cooking liquid with a
The same measuring cup that has the bacon fat in it.
Add 1 cup reserved pasta cooking liquid to a heavy pot and bring to a boil over medium-high. Drain pasta in a colander, then transfer it to the pot that you cooked the bacon in.
Whisk a quarter cup pasta cooking liquid into the reserved egg mixture, then very slowly stream into the pot, stirring constantly, until cheese is melted and egg is thickened to form a glossy sauce. Season with salt, if needed. Thin sauce with remaining ½ cup pasta cooking liquid, adding a tablespoonful at a time, until it's thick.
Mix in bacon and divide pasta among bowls. Top with black pepper and reserved cheese.
Enjoy!
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