Finally, a Good Dinner!

So, back to work on Monday... I was at a staff meeting in a conference room with windows about 10:00 AM when somebody remarked it was snowing. It was a very light snow and just melted when it hit the ground. But, when I drove back to work after lunch, I had to turn on my windshield wipers.

When I got back, I got a hot assignment. I needed to provide a tricky quote by the end of the day, if possible. I got it done by 4:00 PM and, I must say, it did make the afternoon fly by.

Driving home, the snow had ceased and the roads were dry.

I decided I needed to make the dinner I kept postponing all weekend (or else throw away a pound and a half of thick cut bacon). I'm making Spaghetti alla Carbonara (I've made Pasta alla Carbonara, but this is a Tyler Florence recipe I'd wanted to try for a while now).

So, I put a big pot of salted water to boil. I cut 1/4 pound of the bacon into lardons (about 1/3 inches wide strips) and put them into the skillet to render down. Note: You can also use thin-sliced bacon or even the more traditional pancetta. I just happen to have the thick sliced stuff. Meanwhile, I mixed two eggs with one cup of grated Parmesan cheese.

I cooked the rest of the bacon in the oven for use at another time on a rack in a tinfoil covered sheet pan; 400 degrees F. for approximately 15 minutes (thin-sliced) up to 25 minutes (thick-sliced). I cover mine with fresh black pepper, first, BTW.

I minced four cloves of garlic and set that aside while I got the spaghetti in the boiling water. Also note: timing here is very important. The pasta must be hot enough when adding the egg mixture, so the heat of the pasta cooks the raw eggs to make the sauce.

About one minute before draining the pasta, I added the garlic to the bacon fat and let it saut�. When draining the pasta, I reserved about two cups of the pasta water. This is also important, because you must use it to thin the sauce to the right consistency.

I added the spaghetti to the saut� pan and tossed it about two minutes, to ensure each strand is coated. I removed the pan from the heat (also important or you end up with scrambled eggs) and added the egg and cheese mixture. I mixed it quickly to disperse it (and not scramble the eggs) and then added some of the reserved water (this time I used about 3/4 cup of pasta water to get the right consistency). I seasoned it with fresh ground pepper and some chopped flat leaf parsley and then plated it.

I topped it with some fresh grated Parmigiano-Reggiano and took it in the bedroom to relax. It looked and smelled so good I opened a bottle of California Cabernet Sauvignon (2007) to accompany it.

It was fantastic!!!