Make-Shift Carbonara
I made this recipe one night after craving a creamy pasta dish but not having a lot of time.
I made this recipe one night after craving a creamy pasta dish but not having a lot of time.
- Carbohydrate 50.1444 g
- Cholesterol 318.24 mg
- Fat 102.3917 g
- Fiber 9.5140003657341 g
- Protein 31.28349 g
- Saturated Fat 59.2313 g
- Serving Size 1 1 Serving (1264g)
- Sodium 900.551 mg
- Sugar 40.6303996342659 g
- Trans Fat 6.45630000000001 g
- Calories 1218 calories
Step-by-step
- Cook bacon over medium-high heat until crispy. Remove from pan and set aside.
- Turn heat down to medium and add onions. Saute for 2-3 minutes.
- Add garlic, saute 1 minute.
- Add tomato halves and saute another few minutes.
- Add wine to pan and boil for about a minute.
- Turn heat to low and add cream to pan, stirring often.
- Add cheese and stir continuously until well mixed and thickened.
- Crumble cooked bacon into sauce.
- Taste sauce and season with salt and pepper according to taste.
- Add sauce to pasta, stir it in and serve.
Dry white wine acts as the heavy lifter in this pan sauce, cutting through the rich dairy fats while dissolving the browned fond left behind by rendered pork. Traditional Roman pasta preparations rely strictly on pasta water and cheese for emulsion, but divergent versions frequently incorporate cream and cured meats to build flavor quickly. Avoiding common preparation pitfalls ensures a stable sauce that clings to noodles rather than pooling at the bottom of the bowl.
- Render bacon over medium-high heat until completely crisp, taking care not to burn the fat, which introduces acrid notes into the white wine reduction.
- Deglaze the pan with white wine and boil rapidly for exactly 60 seconds to cook off the harsh alcohol burn while retaining the bright fruit acidity.
- Reduce the heat to low before pouring in light cream; high heat will curdle dairy proteins instantly upon contact with the pan surface.
- Stir Pecorino Romano cheese continuously into the warm cream mixture until fully melted to prevent stringy clumps from forming.
- Scale quantities linearly when doubling portions, but use a wider skillet to ensure the grape tomatoes blister rather than steam in crowded liquid.
Proper seasoning requires tasting the sauce only after the salty Pecorino and cured bacon are fully integrated. Adjusting proportions downward for a single serving requires reducing the wine reduction time slightly to avoid over-concentration.
