Pasta Carbonara

Pasta Carbonara is probably my favorite Italian dish ever.  This happens to be my favorite recipe for it…

Pasta Carbonara

1 quart Heavy Cream — (40% milk fat)
4 Each egg yolks — beaten
1 tbsp white pepper
1 handful fresh parsley — chopped
1 handful Romano Cheese — freshly grated
1 pound Bacon Bits — (you can use pancetta or shrimp if you prefer)
1 package Penne Pasta — (or your favorite pasta)

Chop the raw bacon into small pieces. Cook in a frying pan over medium – medium-high heat until done. Set aside.

Cook the pasta according to package directions while preparing the sauce.

Heat the cream in a large pot over medium, whisking frequently to prevent it scorching or developing a skin.

When the cream is thoroughly heated, add the beaten egg yolks in a thin stream, whisking well as the egg yolks meet the hot cream to prevent them cooking before mixing into the cream. Whisk the cream well, incorporating the egg yolks fully into the cream while continuing to heat over medium.

Add the white pepper, whisking in. Next, add the freshly grated Romano cheese and whisk until completely melted. Add the chopped parsley and stir. Stir in the bacon, scooping the pieces out with a slotted spoon to minimize the grease.

Toss the pasta in the cream sauce. Enjoy!

NOTE:  I use kitchen scissors to cut raw bacon in bite size pieces, and then fry the entire pound in a skillet all at once.  This is much easier than frying individual strips and breaking it up afterwards!