Pasta Carbonara

I think everyone has a go to dish. You know that one dish that everyone in the family loves, the one that you just automatically think of when nothing else sounds good, and that you always have the ingredients for in the pantry. Your go to dish would be the one that you have committed to memory, and you can fix it when you are in a hurry. In my house that dish is Pasta Carbonara. I have tried different variations of this dish by using and combining different recipes. But the one I always kept going back to was Linguine alla Carbonara, from Emeril Lagasse (who did you think it was going to be Paula Dean….I don’t think so). I will sauté some chicken tenders in olive oil and either serve them on top of the pasta, or I will chop them up, and toss them up with the pasta. I also just use whatever pasta I happen to have at the time. I have even used elbow macaroni before. This is a very kid friendly dish. All my kids love it, especially my two-year-old. My two oldest are as picky as they come, and they love it, so give this a try and I bet you put it in your regular rotation.

Ingredients


1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
1 TBS unsalted butter
1 yellow onion, minced
4 ounces pancetta or prosciutto, diced (I use plain old bacon most of the time)
1 pound fresh linguine (or whatever pasta you have)
3 large egg yolks, at room temperature
1/2 cup heavy cream, at room temperature
3/4 cup finely grated Parmigiano-Reggiano, at room temperature (more expensive than plain old parmesan, but worth it)
Freshly ground black pepper


Heat oil and butter in a large saute pan over medium heat. Add the onion and pancetta and cook until the onions are translucent and the pancetta is beginning to crisp. Remove from the heat and set aside.
Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil and cook the linguine according to package directions until al dente, about 2 to 3 minutes. Drain pasta in a colander (reserve a small amount of the cooking liquid in a small bowl) and return pasta to the pot. Return the pot to the heat and add the reserved pancetta and onion mixture. Stir over high heat until pasta is coated with the pancetta mixture.
In a bowl, whisk together the egg yolks and heavy cream and add to the pasta, along with the Parmesan. Remove the pot from the heat and toss the pasta until it is well-coated. Season with salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste. If needed, add a bit of the reserved pasta cooking liquid to help toss the pasta if it is dry. Serve immediately.