Pasta Carbonara

Ingredients

  • 6 slices bacon chopped into pieces
  • 1 cup heavy cream
  • 1 egg yolk
  • ½ tsp black pepper
  • kosher salt
  • 2 tbsp chives thinly sliced
  • ½ cup Parmesan cheese grated
  • 8 oz linguini pasta
  • 1 lb chicken breast fillets optional for main course

Instructions

  • Bring a large pot of water to a boil of high heat, season with salt.
  • Fry the bacon until crispy. Remove from the pan and set aside. Drain all but about 1 tablespoon of oil from the pan.
  • Add the pasta to the boiling water and slightly under-cooked. Reserve about 1/2 cup of the cooking water, and drain pasta.
  • Add the heavy cream to the pan with the bacon grease, and bring to a simmer over medium low heat.
  • Remove from heat and quickly whisk in the egg yolk.
  • Add the pasta and and stir to coat. Cook just a little longer until pasta is done (if it gets too thick add reserved pasta cooking water). Add pepper and season with salt to taste.
  • Stir in the Parmesan, bacon, and chives.
  • Place the pasta on the plate and spoon the sauce over. Top with more Parmesan cheese.

Notes

For a main course, grill the chicken breast fillets before starting the pasta and keep warm. Slice and serve on top of pasta. Makes 2 main course servings.