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Rachel Ray BLT-Style Carbonara Pasta
 
recipe image
Prep Time: 10 Minutes
Cook Time: 20 Minutes
Ready In: 30 Minutes
Servings: 4
Ingredients:
1 large tomato (ripe heirloom or 4 plum or roma tomatoes)
1 lb tagliatelle pasta noodles (or other wide, long-cut pasta)
salt
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
1/3 lb bacon, chopped (lean, good quality or smoky speck or milder pancetta)
2 leeks, halved lengthwise and sliced 1/2-inch thick, washed and dried on clean towel
5 -6 garlic cloves, thinly sliced
1 small chili pepper (such as fresno or italian cherry chili pepper)
1 cup dry white wine
1 handful flat leaf parsley, finely chopped
3 large egg yolks, lightly beaten (preferably organic)
pecorino cheese (lots of it, freshly grated)
Directions:
1. Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Score an X into tomato skin, place in boiling water to a count of 30, then remove to a bowl of ice water with tongs or spider. Peel, seed and chop tomato and reserve.
2. Salt boiling water and cook pasta to al dente. Heads up: you will need some starchy cooking water to temper the egg yolks, so reserve a cup or so before draining pasta.
3. Meanwhile, heat a pan over medium to medium-high heat with EVOO. Add bacon, speck or pancetta, and cook until almost crisp. Add leeks, garlic and chili, stir a couple of minutes then add wine and reduce by half. Add parsley and tomatoes, and reduce heat to low.
4. When pasta is about ready, add about 1/2 cup starchy water to the eggs while beating them with a fork to temper them. Toss pasta with bacon and eggs, turn off heat, then toss vigorously a full minute, using more starchy water if the pasta tightens up (the yolks should cover pasta smoothly).
5. Serve with Pecorino at the table for passing.
By RecipeOfHealth.com