Marcella Hazans Spaghetti Carbonara Recipe 37

Steps:

• Bring a large pot of salted water to boil. Meanwhile, cut the pancetta or bacon into strips not quite 1/4-inch wide. Lightly mash the garlic with a knife handle, enough to split the cloves and loosen the skin; discard the skin. Place the garlic and olive oil in a skillet and turn the heat to medium-high. When the garlic turns a deep gold, about 2 minutes, remove it and discard. Place the strips of pancetta or bacon in the pan and cook until they just begin to crisp at the edges, stirring often, about 5 minutes. Add the wine and let it bubble away for 1 to 2 minutes, then turn the heat off. Add the spaghetti to the boiling water, and cook until al dente, about 8 to 10 minutes. Drain. Break the eggs into the serving bowl in which you'll be tossing the pasta. Beat them lightly with a fork, then add the Romano and Parmigiano-Reggiano, a liberal grinding of pepper and the chopped parsley. Mix thoroughly. Add the spaghetti to the bowl and toss rapidly, coating the strands well. Briefly reheat the pancetta or bacon over high heat, turn the entire contents into the bowl of spaghetti and toss thoroughly again. Serve at once. This recipe yields 6 servings. Each serving: 417 calories; 620 mg sodium; 98 mg cholesterol; 24 grams fat; 8 grams saturated fat; 28 grams carbohydrates; 19 grams protein; 1.69 grams fiber. Caution: Although many recipes call for uncooked eggs, the U.S. Department of Agriculture has found them to be a potential carrier of food-borne illness and recommends that infants, the elderly and immuno-compromised people avoid raw eggs.

Steps:

• Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Cook the spaghetti according to the package instructions while you start the sauce.
• Heat a large skillet over medium-high heat and add the oil and pancetta. Cook until the pancetta gets brown and crispy, 3 to 4 minutes.
• In a bowl, whisk the eggs with the cheese and some salt and pepper.
• When the spaghetti is done, drain it, reserving some of the cooking water, and add the pasta to the hot pancetta skillet. Toss to coat the pasta with the oil. Remove the skillet from the heat and pour over the egg mixture, tossing quickly so the eggs don't scramble. Add some of the hot cooking water to thin it out and form a sauce. Toss in the parsley. Serve immediately with some extra cheese and a drizzle of olive oil.

Steps:

• Briefly soak and wash the basil in cold water, and gently pat it thoroughly DRY with paper towels.
• Put the basil, olive oil, pine nuts, chopped garlic, and an ample pinch of salt in the processor bowl, and process to a uniform, creamy consistency.
• Transfer to a bowl, and mix in the two grated cheeses by hand. It is worth the slight effort to do it by hand to obtain the notably superior texture it produces.
• When the cheese has been evenly amalgamated with the other ingredients, mix in the softened butter, distributing it uniformly into the sauce.
• When spooning the pesto over pasta, dilute it slightly with a tablespoon or two of the hot water in which the pasta was cooked.
• Freezing pesto: Make the sauce through to the end of Step 2, cover with a layer of olive oil and freeze it without cheese and butter in it. Add the cheese and butter when it is thawed, just before serving.

Steps:

• In a large skillet, bring the cream and butter to a boil over medium-high heat.
• Add the lemon juice and the zest and reduce the volume by almost half.
• Remove from heat.
• Have your cooked and drained pasta (I like fettucine for this one -- ) ready to go.
• Add the pasta to your skillet with the sauce and toss to coat over medium heat.
• Add the cheese and toss for a few more seconds.
• Serve with additional cheese.
• Note: Marcella calls for the zest of 4 (!) lemons, but I thought it a bit over the top -- just me.

Steps:

• Combine the tomatoes, their juices, the butter and the onion halves in a saucepan. Add a pinch or two of salt.
• Place over medium heat and bring to a simmer. Cook, uncovered, for about 45 minutes. Stir occasionally, mashing any large pieces of tomato with a spoon. Add salt as needed.
• Discard the onion before tossing the sauce with pasta. This recipe makes enough sauce for a pound of pasta.

Steps:

• Bring 4 quarts of water to a rolling boil. Add 1 tablespoon of salt and when water has returned to a boil, add the penne, stirring with a long- handled wooden fork or spoon to distribute the pasta evenly.
• While the pasta is cooking, proceed with the rest of the recipe. Chop the fresh herbs together briefly and place in a deep bowl in which you will serve the pasta.
• Seed the tomatoes and cut them into small cubes. Add to the herbs in the bowl and mix together gently but thoroughly. Taste for seasoning and add salt and pepper if necessary or desired.
• This step must proceed very quickly, so be sure your timing is right. Heat the olive oil over a medium high flame until it is very hot. When it begins to smoke, pour all at once over the vegetables in the bowl. Drain the cooked pasta and add it immediately to the oil and sizzling vegetables. Mix well. Serve immediately.