Spaghetti Carbonara

Yesterday I opened my freezer and realized I had run out of any sort of protein to defrost for dinner, until I spotted....bacon! Luckily I also happened to have some fresh rosemary leftover from my branzino, as well as eggs and parmesan, so I decided to make spaghetti carbonara.

Spaghetti Carbonara

• 2-4 slices Bacon, chopped into 1/2" wide pieces
• 1/2 small onion, chopped
• 2 Cloves garlic, minced
• 1 Stem Fresh Rosemary, finely chopped
• 1/4-1/2 cup Chicken Stock
• 3 Eggs
• 3 tbs cream (optional)
• 1 tbs butter
• Pasta of choice

I started by cooking the bacon and garlic over low-medium heat, approximately 10 minutes until it was starting to brown but still tender. I didn't want to crisp it necessarily, just to render most of the fat out of it. Then I added in the onion, fresh rosemary and about 1/4-1/2 cup of chicken stock, just enough to deglaze the pan. I let this cook down for another 5-10 minutes until most of the liquid had evaporated. Once the liquid had evaporated, I added a dash of cream, stirred together and turned off the heat.

While the sauce was cooking, I cooked the pasta and whisked together 3 eggs, S&P and 1 tsp of cream (milk could substitute) and set aside. Before I drained the pasta I ladled a bit of starchy pasta water into my bacon/cream mix to thicken up the sauce. Then I added the drained pasta (with 1 tbs butter) to the bacon pan and poured the eggs over the top with a large handful of parmesan cheese. I tossed and covered, to allow the eggs to cook and the flavors to combine.

For a 20 minute meal, with really limited ingredients, this was a really delicious and comforting meal. The bacon, with just a dash of cream created a delicious gravy that I had to resist licking off the side of my bowl. The real star was the rosemary. I only used one sprig, next time I might use a bit more. It had a aromatic smell and a peppery herbal flavor that amplified the whole dish.