Cooking with cream is kind of our thing, and one of the best cream-based recipes out there is for pasta carbonara. It’s not quite breakfast for dinner, but it’s close enough to satisfy Alex and far enough away to make me happy. Marriage is all about balance. And it’s a pantry dinner that comes together quickly, which is always a good thing. We’re serving four these days, and this made plenty for everyone, with leftovers to make into a frittata the next morning. You need a pasta pot and a large sauté pan. Yes, you have to keep the toppings separate and let people mix them in on their own; it’s just better that way. It keeps the flavors separate so you can taste each ingredient, and it keeps the peas from turning into mush. Best of all, everyone can add as much or as little as they would like and eat it however they want to.
Pasta Carbonara
Serves 4
– 8 ounces long pasta (we used Barilla Collezione bucatini above)
– 1 cup + 1/4 cup heavy cream, separated
– 4 large egg yolks
– 1 cup grated Parmigiano, plus more to finish the dish
– Lottie’s Traditional Barbados Yellow Hot Pepper Sauce (a.k.a. magic mustard sauce), optional
– 1/2 large onion, finely diced
– 1 cup ham, diced
– 1/2 bag frozen peas
– 1 green onion, finely sliced
Cook the pasta in boiling, generously salted water for one minute less than the time on the box. Meanwhile, whisk together 1 cup of cream, egg yolks, the Parmigiano cheese, and a few shakes of Lottie’s sauce, if using. Reserve. Put the remaining 1/4 cup of cream in a large skillet or sauté pan and add onions, ham, a pinch of salt, and a dash of Lottie’s sauce, if using. Bring to a simmer, cover, and keep over low temperature as the pasta cooks. Two minutes before the pasta is done, add the frozen peas to the ham mixture in the skillet, season with salt, stir them in, and re-cover the pan. Increase the heat to medium-low. Drain the cooked pasta when done, leaving about a quarter cup of cooking water in the pot. Return the pasta to the pot and add the reserved cream mixture. Cook, stirring constantly, until the sauce thickens and coats the pasta. Taste for seasoning and add salt or more cheese as needed. Once the pasta is done, turn off the heat under the sauté pan. Plate the pasta and sprinkle it with more cheese and the sliced green onion. Spoon the ham and vegetable mixture over each mound of pasta and serve immediately.
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