Orecchiette Carbonara

Let me preface this post by saying if you're going to feed an army, this recipe is great. If you're cooking for one, it's not so great. I ate this for days. So unless you're into eating the same leftover for days, scale it down a bit.

That said, this dish is delicious. I've never had pasta carbonara, whether homemade or at a restaurant. I really hope that if I order it one day, that this recipe will hold up against it.

Orecchiette Carbonara
from Bella Eats


6 slices high-quality, thick-cut bacon
2 medium leeks, white and pale green parts only, halved lengthwise and cut crosswise into 1/3-inch pieces
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 cup frozen peas, thawed
1 lb. orecchiette pasta or small shells
2 large, high-quality egg yolks, room temperature
1/4 cup heavy cream
1/2 cup freshly grated parmesan cheese
1 tbsp fresh parsley

1. Cook bacon until crisp. (I cooked mine in the oven. 400 degrees on a rimmed baking sheet for 15 minutes, turning once.) Transfer the cooked bacon to a paper towel to drain, and set aside. Reserve 2 tbsp of the bacon fat, keeping it in the skillet or pouring it from the baking pan into a skillet.  Once the bacon is cool, break it into small pieces.
2. Add the leeks and garlic to the skillet with the bacon fat, and saute over medium heat until tender, about 6 minutes. Add the peas and stir to heat evenly. Set aside.
3. Meanwhile, cook pasta in a large pot of boiling salted water until just tender, about 8 minutes. Drain pasta, reserving 1/2 cup of the pasta cooking water.
4. Whisk the egg yolks, parmesan, and cream together in a medium bowl. Gradually add 1/4 cup of the pasta cooking water. 
5. Add the pasta to the leeks and stir to mix over medium heat, just until all is heated through and the leeks are just starting to sizzle again. Remove the skillet from the heat and pour egg mixture over pasta. Stir until the sauce is just creamy and eggs are no longer raw, about 2 minutes. You can return the skillet to very low heat if the egg mixture is still runny, but be careful not to overcook. If the pasta needs to be moistened, you can add some of the reserved pasta cooking water back to the pan.
6. Stir in the bacon and parsley, blending well.
7. Serve with additional cheese and freshly ground black pepper.

First time ever cooking with, or eating, leeks.

Yeah....

 My one note about this, is that it is imperative that you use good quality and super thick cut bacon. It's a huge highlight of the dish, so make it worth it.