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With Eggs, Bacon, and Parmesan, You Just Can't Go Wrong

Posted by Lucy Baker, March 18, 2008 at 2:15 PM

When I have a craving for a really decadent dish—macaroni and cheese, say, or rice pudding—I prefer to make it for myself as opposed to ordering it in a restaurant. This is for two reasons: first, I think that rich, comforting foods are best enjoyed at home; second, when I am the cook, I am in control of the specific ingredients and the portion sizes. The end result is, I believe, always a little bit healthier.

For this week's magazine recipe review I made the orecchiette carbonara with leeks from the April issue of Bon Appétit. Spaghetti carbonara is something I would never eat out, for fear of popping a button off my pants in public. There is just no way to tell how much butter, oil, and bacon fat is being used. I was drawn to the version in Bon Appétit because it didn't use heavy cream (unlike some less traditional carbonaras), and because it called for fresh, seasonal leeks. Also, I happened to have a lot of eggs on hand.

I stuck to the recipe as best I could, though I couldn't find applewood-smoked bacon (I used high-quality slab) or orecchiette (I used shells). Still, the end results were absolutely outstanding. The carbonara was definitely creamy and cheesy, yet it was also somehow light—more like a dressing than a sauce. The leeks added a refreshing green note, and the bacon was smoky, crunchy, and meaty. Shells are already my favorite pasta shape (I think they're the most playful) and in this dish they were perfect, cradling the egg and cheese in their concave centers.

While it may not have been as wholesome as tofu or as low-cal as a tossed salad, this version of carbonara was definitely the most nutritious of all that I've tried. I didn't feel weighed down or over-stuffed after eating a modest bowl, and I even had room for a sorbet sundae dessert.

About the author: Lucy Baker is a graduate student in the writing program at Sarah Lawrence College. Before returning to school to pursue an MFA, she was an assistant cookbook editor at HarperCollins. She lives in Brooklyn and is currently obsessed with all things fennel.

Orecchiette Carbonara with Leeks

- makes 4 servings -
Adapted from Bon Appetit magazine

Ingredients

4 thick slices of slab bacon, diced
2 medium leeks (white and light green part only) halved lengthwise, then cut crosswise into 3/4-inch pieces
10 ounces shell-shaped pasta
2 large eggs
1/2 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese, plus more for serving
1 tablespoon chopped fresh parsley

Procedure

1. Cook the bacon in a large skillet over medium heat until crisp, about 8 minutes. Transfer bacon to paper towels to drain. Pour off all but 2 tablespoons of fat.

2. Add leeks to skillet and sautée until soft, about 6 minutes. Set aside.

3. Meanwhile, cook the pasta in a large pot of boiling salted water until tender yet firm to the bite. Drain, reserving 1/2 cup cooking liquid.

4. Whisk eggs and 1/2 cup Parmesan cheese in a medium bowl to blend. Gradually add 1/4 cup pasta cooking liquid.

5. Add pasta to leeks in skillet. Pour egg mixture over pasta and stir (I put the skillet over extremely low heat) until sauce is just creamy and eggs are no longer raw, about 2 or 3 minutes. Be careful not to overcook, or the eggs will scramble. Add some of remaining 1/4 cup pasta cooking liquid if pasta is dry.

6. Stir in the bacon and parsley. Serve pasta with additional Parmesan cheese.

5 Comments | Tags: grains, Italian, mains, pastas, pork

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