Earth2body Guest Post

Naples, Italy is called the birth place of pizza, but Naples has so much more (duh!) than just pizza to offer! DH and I found one of many new favorite dishes while staying in Naples. I’ve seen Carbonara on many menus in the U.S. I’ve easily resisted the sluggish urge to eat pasta with bacon and eggs.


OMG! I had NO idea what I was missing!!! It was…to DIE for!!!! I sat dreamily consuming this dish for the first time in Naples when time itself seemed to stop. I actually heard “Halle- LU- jah!” Of course, it probably had something to do with the fact that we were sitting on a sidewalk patio in Italy!


Needless to say, as soon as we returned home we searched for good recipes that were similar to what we had. There are many recipes with variations, some better than others.


Here is our favorite recipe for Carbonara…and it’s almost identical to the taste we had in Italia! It’s in a cookbook called, The Pasta Recipe Book published by Hermes House.


So, give it a try. You will NOT be disappointed. Mmmmmmm…

PASTA CARBONARA


Traditionally served with spaghetti, although we prefer linguini.


350-450g or 12 oz-1 lb. pasta


15ml or 1 T. olive oil


225g or 8 oz ham, bacon, or pancetta, cut into 1 inch pieces (DH uses 1/2 package bacon)


115g or 4 oz button mushrooms, sliced


4 eggs, lightly beaten


75ml or 5 T. heavy cream


30ml or 2 T Parmesan cheese


salt and ground black pepper


fresh basil sprigs, to garnish (we use parsley)


1. Cook the pasta in a pan of boiling salted water, with a little oil added until al dente.


2. Meanwhile, heat the oil in a frying pan and add meat. Fry for 3-4 minutes and then add the mushrooms. Fry for 3-4 minutes further. Turn off the heat and reserve. Lightly beat the eggs and cream together in a bowl. Season well.


3. When the pasta is cooked, drain well and return to the pan. Stir in meat, mushrooms, and pan juices.


4. Pour in the eggs, cream, and half of the Parmesan cheese. Mix well and as you do this the eggs will cook in the heat of the pasta. Pile on to warmed serving plate. Sprinkle with remaining Parmesan and garnish with basil.