Summer Carbonara Recipes

SPAGHETTI ALLA CARBONARA

Steps:

• Prepare the sauce while the pasta is cooking to ensure that the spaghetti will be hot and ready when the sauce is finished; it is very important that the pasta is hot when adding the egg mixture, so that the heat of the pasta cooks the raw eggs in the sauce.
• Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil, add the pasta and cook for 8 to 10 minutes or until tender yet firm (as they say in Italian "al dente.") Drain the pasta well, reserving 1/2 cup of the starchy cooking water to use in the sauce if you wish.
• Meanwhile, heat the olive oil in a deep skillet over medium flame. Add the pancetta and saute for about 3 minutes, until the bacon is crisp and the fat is rendered. Toss the garlic into the fat and saute for less than 1 minute to soften.
• Add the hot, drained spaghetti to the pan and toss for 2 minutes to coat the strands in the bacon fat. Beat the eggs and Parmesan together in a mixing bowl, stirring well to prevent lumps. Remove the pan from the heat and pour the egg/cheese mixture into the pasta, whisking quickly until the eggs thicken, but do not scramble (this is done off the heat to ensure this does not happen.) Thin out the sauce with a bit of the reserved pasta water, until it reaches desired consistency. Season the carbonara with several turns of freshly ground black pepper and taste for salt. Mound the spaghetti carbonara into warm serving bowls and garnish with chopped parsley. Pass more cheese around the table.

SUMMER CARBONARA

Steps:

• Cook spaghetti according to package directions. Drain; transfer to a large bowl., Meanwhile, in a large skillet, heat oil over medium-high heat. Add onion, squash, zucchini and garlic; cook and stir until tender. Add tomatoes; heat through. Remove from pan; keep warm., Reduce heat to low. Add eggs to same skillet; cook slowly, stirring constantly, until eggs reach 160° and just begin to coat a metal spoon (eggs will be frothy; do not overcook). Add to hot spaghetti; toss to coat. Add vegetables and remaining ingredients; toss gently to combine.

SUMMER SPAGHETTI CARBONARA

Steps:

• Bring a saucepan of salted water to boil. If you've never made carbonara before, check out this video.
• While water boils, heat a large skillet with oil over medium-high heat. Add squash and asparagus with a pinch of salt. Saute until vegetables are tender, 4 to 5 minutes. Set aside.
• Add pasta to boiling water and cook until al dente, tender but not soggy. Reserve 1/4 cup (59 mL) of pasta water (amount is for 4 servings, adjust accordingly).
• While pasta cooks, add chopped bacon to heated skillet and saute until bacon is crisp, 6 to 7 minutes.
• Add reserved pasta water to bacon and then turn off heat. (This is important - if the burner is on when you add eggs, they will scramble instead of turning saucy.)
• Working quickly so that the pasta stays hot, drain pasta and add to skillet. Pour egg sauce over hot pasta and toss vigorously with tongs or two forks at least 20 times, until eggs form a creamy sauce. (The eggs will cook as you toss them in.)
• Stir in squash, asparagus and peas.
• Transfer pasta to a serving dish. Top with fresh cracked black pepper and red pepper flakes. Enjoy!

SUMMER SPAGHETTI CARBONARA

Steps:

• Bring a saucepan of salted water to boil. If you've never made carbonara before, check out this video.
• While water boils, heat a large skillet with oil over medium-high heat. Add squash and saute until squash is tender, 4 to 5 minutes.
• In the last minute of cooking, add peas to squash and saute just to heat through. Set vegetables aside and return pan to heat.
• Add pasta to boiling water and cook until al dente, tender but not soggy. Reserve 1/4 cup (59 mL) of pasta water (amount is for 4 servings, adjust accordingly).
• While pasta cooks, add chopped bacon to heated skillet and saute until bacon is crisp, 6 to 7 minutes.
• Add reserved pasta water to bacon and then turn off heat. (This is the key to a creamy sauce - if the burner is on when you add eggs, they will scramble instead of turning saucy.)
• Working quickly so that the pasta stays hot, drain pasta and add to skillet. Pour egg sauce over hot pasta and toss vigorously with tongs or two forks at least 20 times, until eggs form a creamy sauce. (The eggs will cook as you toss them in.)
• Stir in squash and peas.
• Transfer pasta to a serving plate and top with basil. Finish the dish with fresh cracked black pepper and enjoy!

SUMMER VEGETABLE CARBONARA

Steps:

• Cook the spaghetti in a large pan of boiling water for 10 minutes or until al dente. Drain, then drizzle with extra-virgin olive oil.
• Meanwhile, in a large frying pan, heat a glug of olive oil and fry the onion over a medium heat for 5-8 minutes until softening. Add the pancetta lardons and broccoli; fry for 5 minutes or until the pancetta is crisp.
• Add the peas to the pancetta pan and cook for 2 minutes, then turn off the heat. Add the still-hot pasta with another glug of extra-virgin olive oil and toss. Leave for 1 minute.
• Beat 4 whole eggs with 2 egg yolks, then stir into the pasta with the chopped fresh mint. Taste, season, then serve straightaway with freshly grated parmesan and a squeeze of lemon juice.

SUMMER VEGETABLE CARBONARA

Steps:

• 1) Chop your zucchini and fresh squash into half-circles about the size of the penne pasta. Also chop your bacon into cubes.
• 2) Whisk your egg yolks, 1/2 Cup Parmesan, and a pinch of salt and pepper in a separate bowl. Set aside for later.
• 3) Cook Penne according to the box.
• 4) In a large pan with high sides, cook bacon over medium-low heat until very crispy and brown. Remove bacon from pan.
• 5) When your pasta is done, drain it and reserve about 1 Cup of cooking water.
• 6) Add veggies to the pan with the bacon grease along with a few thyme sprigs if you want and some salt and pepper.
• 7) Cook the veggies over medium-high heat for just a minute or two. Any longer than that and they'll get soggy and mushy.
• 8) Combine pasta with veggies and add your bacon back in.
• 9) Whisk 1/2 cup of pasta water to the egg sauce. Turn off the heat and slowly add in your egg yolk mixture, stirring furiously while you add it. If you do this over the heat, your eggs will just cook, but they should into a creamy sauce if the pan isn't on direct heat.
• 10) If it looks too thick, add a bit of reserved pasta water to make the sauce thicker.
• 11) Sprinkle carbonara with more cheese and serve immediately.

SUMMER TORTELLINI CARBONARA

Steps:

• Heat a large nonstick skillet over medium heat and add the bacon. Cook until the bacon is crispy and all the fat has rendered. Remove the bacon with a slotted spoon and place it on a paper towel to remove excess grease.
• While the bacon is cooking, bring a pot of salted water to a boil. While that is coming to a boil, slice the corn kernels off the cob. I do not cook the corn the first, I use it straight from the cob.
• In a bowl, whisk together the eggs and parmesan cheese until completely combined. It will be thick. Add a few cracks of black pepper and stir.
• Boil your tortellini. It will only take 3 to 5 minutes. Be sure to reserve 1 cup of the pasta water. Once reserved, drain the tortellini.
• Heat the skillet with the bacon fat over medium-low heat. Add the garlic cloves. As soon as you drain the tortellini, add it to the skillet and toss it with the bacon fat and garlic. You want it all coated.
• Turn the heat off under the skillet. Add the parmesan/egg mixture and immediately begin stirring with a spatula or wooden spoon to create a creamy sauce. You want to stir quickly but gently. Stir for at least 2 minutes, so the eggs don't scramble and a sauce coats the tortellini. Whisk in ½ cup of the reserved pasta water and stir until the sauce comes together. If you want the sauce even more silky, you can add the remaining pasta water in some increments.
• Stir in the corn kernels and the crispy bacon. Taste and season with more salt and pepper if needed. This flavor of this dish will depend highly on the salt content of your cheese and bacon! You may need to add more salt at the end - I always wait until the end of this dish so I don't make it too salty!
• Stir in the fresh basil and chives. Top with more parmesan cheese. Serve immediately!