Carbonara Sauce?

Seeing as it's for 'im buy the packet stuff OWG he'll never know

OWG - Asda do a really nice one in the Extra Special range - it's got bits of ham in it but I usually chop up some extra honey roast ham and bung it in.

Did a wild mushroom pasta dish last week from the Abel & Cole cook book, as I remember you fried up some shallots in butter, added as many mixed wild mushrooms as you could lay your hands on, added some pancetta (expect bacon / ham would do) and then some double cream with a bit of fresh thyme. Then reduced it down a bit and served with pasta. Might have been some garlic in there too but can't remember. Delicious - OH has requested it again, which is good as it's dead quick and easy.

I cheat, I cook chopped back bacon in a frying pan, add mushrooms and fry until soft, add a pack of boursin cheese and a large splash (probably about 1/4 pint) of whole milk or less of single cream. Stir until thick enough to coat pasta.
Great if you like it garlicy!

I have one but am going away for the weekend so you'll have to wait till monday...by which time you'll probably have hundreds of versions!!!!!

Hi OWG,

Spaghetti Alla Carbonara (Giuliano Hazan)

For 500g (1lb) dried, shop-bought pasta

30g (1oz) butter
30ml (2tbsps) extra virgin olive oil
125g (4oz) pancetta from a 6mm thick slice cut into thin strips
90ml (6 tbsps) dry white wine
4 egg yolks
3tbsps freshly grated parmigiano-reggiano cheese (Parmesan)
1 tbsps freshly grated pecorino romano cheese (hard sheep's cheese)
1 tbsp finely chopped flat leaf parsley
salt and freshly ground black pepper

1 Pour 4 litres (7 pints) of water into a large pan or pot and place over a high heat.
2 Put butter and olive oil into a small saute pan over a med high heat. When butter melted add pancetta and cok until well browned but not crisp. Pour in white wine and cook until reduced by about half. Remove from heat and set aside.
3 When water for pasta is boiling and sauce is off the heat add 1 tbsp salt to boiling water and drop all pasta in at once, stirring until strands submerged.
4 In a mixing bowl (large enough to accomodate pasta) lightly beat egg yolks with cheese, parsley, pinch salt and black pepper.
5 When pasta "al dente" return the pan with the pancetta to a high heat, drain pasta and add to egg and cheese mix in bowl. Toss well until pasta coated and add pancetta. Serve at once.

Very traditional italian recipe. You can use whole egg if you prefer it not so rich.

My version of this is quite different to EB's trad version.
Sorry, no exact measurements.

For 2 people: 200g / 8oz dried pasta

Cook pasta according to packet instructions, and assuming this takes 10mins or so, begin the sauce at the same time as you put pasta on.
Chop 6ish rashers of streaky bacon and fry in a little oil for a couple of mins before adding chopped garlic (2 cloves?) Add chopped mushrooms and fry on a low heat.
Meanwhile pour 250ml double cream in to a bowl, beat in a couple of eggs (as EB says, you can use just yolks if you want it particularly rich) and a heaped tbsp of grated parmesan cheese. Season with plenty of freshly ground black pepper.
Just before the pasta is ready, add cream mix to frying pan and keep the mixture on the move so you don't get an omelette effect. When it reaches the consistency you like (personally it has to be still sloppy) add another dash of cream (if you've bought a medium sized carton there should still be a little left) and a nob of butter. Stir until the butter has melted.
Strain the pasta and add it to the frying pan. Combine ingredients quickly and serve with extra shavings of parmesan on top.

You can increase the quantities of any of the sauce ingredients if you like loads of sauce with your pasta. These are guidelines only.


NB:
1. if you use mushrooms the sauce usually turns a lovely shade of grey. Personally I usually favour taste over looks in this case, but they can easily be left out.
2. If served at the 'sloppy' stage the eggs will only be partially cooked, so don't serve to those at risk from raw eggs (babies, elderly and pregnant). Just making sure I don't get sued!

I worked in an Italian restaurant as a cook for a while when travelling in Australia. I came away with the most AMAZING tasting carbonara sauce (well, I can boast.... as it's not my recipe... but I cook it well )

So.... I don't have exact quantities, but if you're like me and throw it all in and see how it turns out, then you should be fine. I'll do my best though!

4-6 rashers of bacon
2 cloves of garlic
cooked tagliatelle pasta (enough for 2 people)
250 mls cream
handful of grated parmesan cheese
4 spring onions (chopped)
ground black pepper
splash of white wine
2 egg yolks (you can save the whites for meringues for desert!! They also freeze well if you don't use them straight away)

1) chop up 4 rashers of bacon into small cubes (if they're small rashers, then add a couple more) and 2 cloves of garlic. Cook the bacon and garlic with some ground black pepper on a low heat in the fat of the bacon (I never add extra oil to mine).

2) When the bacon has let off some fat, raise the heat a bit and give it a good cook up - then add a splash of white wine to the pan to lift the bacon flavour off the bottom of the frying pan.

3) Reduce the heat and add your cream (I think I put about 250 mls for two people) then heat gently. Add your spring onions, cook gently until they're wilted, then add your cooked pasta.

3) mix your pasta into your creamy bacon sauce, then add your 2 eggs yolks and stir in (they don't need to be cooked properly through, just stirred in and warmed through).

4) Add grated parmesan cheese until the sauce is the consistency you want. Basically the cream will still be a bit runny (although the egg yolk thickens it up a bit), and the parmesan cheese adds flavour and makes the sauce thicker - depending on how you like it.

5) Serve... and enjoy!

Mmmmm think I might cook it tonight now myself!!

mmm
my version.
again its a suck it and see recipe so no measurements, sorry.

grill bacon
fry garlic and onion, add mushrooms, white wine (splash) and cut bacon into strips and add. add cream simmer on a low heat add a handfull of parmasan, a hand full of mild herb, i use tarragon but whatever, add two egg yolks and mix throughly, add to pasta serve.

Looks like as with many pasta sauce recipes that barring a few similarities it's up to you. I think that's why there is all the "way mamma used to make" thing with pasta. Every family has it's own recipe and/or variations passed down from mother to daughter/son.