“Make It Snappy” is presented by Goldfish Swim School of Chapel Hill. With recipes that only take 45 minutes or less to prepare, Christy helps you stay afloat at dinner time! 

Carbonara does not have to be intimidating! It sounds fancy, and it is worth the hype, but the process can be made simple if you’ll just remember one rule: don’t cook the eggs. How is that possible, you ask? Again, it’s simple. We’re just going to slowly introduce heat to the yolks rather than heating them up rapidly, which will result in scrambled eggs instead of glossy pasta.

Our shortcut this month is a great one: pre-diced pancetta from the deli section of the grocery store. There is always the option to substitute bacon for the pancetta, but this prepackaged option couldn’t be easier. No need to get your hands greasy trying to cut through slippery bacon, this little box has done all the work for you! Just dump it in the pan and let it go. BE CAREFUL! Cubed pancetta and bacon, or “lardons” as they’re called, go from cooking nicely to burnt real quick. Keep an eye on the meat as it cooks and remove it from the heat before you need to. You can always cook it a bit longer if need be, but there’s no turning back from a pan of burnt pancetta.

Separating eggs can seem tricky if you’ve never done it before, but trust me, it’s easier than it looks on tv. Just break the egg into your hand over a bowl and leave a little bit of space between your fingers. This will allow you to hold the yolk while the white slips through your fingers into the bowl below. Don’t over think it and don’t worry about the mess!

My husband and I love Bucatini noodles (long straw shape) but any long cut noodle type you have on hand will work as well. Cooking the pasta in chicken broth or stock will give it  another layer of flavor and using a box that is NOT labeled “low sodium” will result in salty cooking water to season the pasta.

You’ll notice that I have not added any extra salt to this recipe as the pancetta, the chicken broth and the Pecorino Romano are all inherently salty. Be sure to taste the final product before deciding to add additional salt.

If possible, I highly recommend grating your own Pecorino Romano from a block. You can use pre-grated parmesan cheese, but pre-shredded and grated cheeses are often coated in an anti-caking powder that can change the texture and melting process of the cheese. Because this dish is so dependent on the texture of the glossy pasta, it’s best to grate the cheese yourself. And feel free to use whatever parmesan block you have on hand! My family loves the flavor of Pecorino Romano so that is my preferred parm of choice.

 

SHALLOT CARBONARA BUCATINI

By: Christy Bray Graves

SERVES: 8

INGREDIENTS

  • 6 room temperature egg yolks*
  • 1 – 32 oz. box chicken broth or stock (NOT low sodium)
  • 4 cups water
  • 1 lb. bucatini pasta** (or any preferred long pasta)
  • 1 TBSP extra virgin olive oil
  • 1 medium or 2 small shallots, diced
  • 4 cloves of garlic, pressed or diced
  • 1 – 4 oz. package of cubed pancetta (or 2 packs if you love pancetta and bacon!)
  • 1 cup freshly grated Pecorino Romano cheese***
  • 1 pinch of nutmeg
  • 1 pinch of black pepper
  • Flat leaf parsley to garnish

INSTRUCTIONS

  1. Remove 6 eggs from the refrigerator at least 30 min before cooking to allow them to come to room temperature. Separate the eggs, keeping the yolks and discarding or saving the whites for another use. Leaving the egg yolks out in a bowl while you prepare the pasta and pancetta will help them slowly warm up.
  2. In a large pot, bring one full box of chicken broth plus 4 cups of water to a boil. The salt in the broth will flavor the pasta noodles. Add the bucatini and cook for the amount of time listed on the package. Before draining the pasta, scoop out and reserve at least ½ cup of the starchy pasta water. Drain the pasta, leaving it in the in the colander until needed.
  3. In a large skillet, heat 1 TBSP of olive oil over medium heat. Add the diced shallots and garlic and cook through for 1-2 minutes until the oil is bubbling and the veggies are fragrant.
  4. Add the pancetta to the pan and stir to combine. Cook this mixture on medium heat for 5 – 8 minutes until the pancetta is just below the doneness level that your family likes bacon. Keep a close eye on the pancetta as it can burn quickly! It will go from pale pink to darker pink to deep red. Pull the pan off of the heat before it’s done as it will continue to crisp up once the pan is off the burner. If it needs more time, cook 30 seconds to a minute at a time to prevent burning.
  5. Whisk the egg yolks vigorously until they’re completely smooth. Very slowly, little bits at a time, whisk in the ½ cup reserved pasta water. The starch in the pasta water will help the egg yolks stick to the noodles and adding it very slowly will temper the egg yolks. Do not pour in the hot water all at once as this will scramble the egg yolks.
  6. To the yolk mixture, slowly sprinkle and whisk in 1 cup of freshly grated Pecorino Romano, 1 pinch of nutmeg and 1 pinch of black pepper until evenly incorporated with the yolks.
  7. Pour the egg yolk mixture into a large mixing bowl and slowly introduce the warm pasta to the yolks. Do this carefully so that the temp of the yolks doesn’t rise too fast, which will scramble them. I use tongs and work in small batches to coat the noodles.
  8. Add the eggy noodles to the pancetta pan and toss to combine. Use a wooden spoon to scrape up and stir in all the pancetta bits stuck to the bottom of the pan. Garnish with parsley and fresh cracked black pepper and serve immediately.

NOTES

*Separating eggs is simple! Just break the egg into your hand over a bowl and leave a little bit of space between your fingers. This will allow you to hold the yolk while the white slips through your fingers into the bowl below.

**Any long cut noodle you have on hand will work as well!

*** Feel free to use whatever parmesan block you have on hand! I highly recommend grating your own cheese. You can use pre-grated parmesan cheese, but pre-shredded and grated cheeses are often coated in an anti-caking powder that can change the texture and melting process of the cheese. Because this dish is so dependent on the texture of the glossy pasta, it’s best to grate the cheese yourself.

 

As a wife and mom of three young boys, I often consider myself a master “chaos coordinator.” Between running our family business, Chapel Hill Toffee, managing our household and balancing busy schedules, I love to create quick and simple recipes that I know my family will enjoy – and my kids will actually eat!

My recipes are more of a guide than a perfect plan. I will always encourage you to use what you have on hand and make substitutions to suit your tastes. I invite you to share your own ideas, questions and final products with us on Facebook  and on Instagram by tagging @christybgraves and @wchlchapelboro.

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