Thomas’s Carbonara
Minneapolis meatmonger Thomas has come up with a meal which can be shopped for entirely at France 44.
It’s an easy meal, and its richness is just the thing for a cool Minnesota evening. My roommate and I enjoy it frequently, maybe too frequently, but we think you’ll understand why once you’ve made it. Full credit goes to Andrew Rea for inspiring this recipe.
Ingredients:
8 oz France 44 house-made pancetta
1 package, or 500g Gentile Bucatini
2 large eggs
2 large egg yolk
2oz grated Parmigiano-Reggiano
2oz grated Pecorino Romano
Black Pepper
Salt
Pasta water, as needed
Directions:
1. Dice pancetta into ¼ inch lardons. If you want to skip this step, just ask myself or one of my colleagues, and we’ll happy do this for you!
2. Start to bring a large pot of lightly-salted water to a boil. There’s a lot of salt in both the cheese and pancetta, and you don’t want to risk overdoing it. I also recommend using your biggest pot – the bucatini is deceptively big. This is because it’s made in the traditional way, meaning it’s hung to dry.
3.Put a stainless steel or nonstick pan over medium heat, adding the pancetta to the pan while it’s still cold. This will help more fat render out as the pan heats up. You want the pancetta to get crispy on the outside, but still have some bite on the inside. Once it gets there, turn off the heat.
4. In a separate bowl combine your two eggs, two egg yolks, both cheeses, and a few turns of freshly ground black pepper.
5. Once your bucatini is done to your liking, drain the pasta, reserving about a cup of pasta water.
6. Add the noodles directly into the pan with the pancetta, and quickly add the cheese/egg mixture. At this point, try to keep the pan moving as often as possible, working to emulsify the sauce. I think using a pair of long tongs makes this job easier.. If the sauce is too thick, you can add some of the reserve pasta water. If it’s too think, just grate in more Parm or Pecorino, whichever you prefer.
7. Plate up and serve with one of you favorite wines – and more cheese on top, of course.
