Pasta Carbonara with Corn and Chilies

Carbonara is something I’ve been wanting to try for some time now, but never had the chance, till last week.  I ran across this Rachael Ray creation and couldn’t resist the beautiful picture in the magazine.  Her recipe calls for some ingredients that are hard to get in my grocery store, so I changed some of them to commonly found ones in my area.

The result is a creamy, nutty, corn-y, bacon-y explosion in your mouth!

Ingredients: Salt, 1 lb. fettuccine pasta, 3 tbsp. EVOO, 1/4–1/3 lb. bacon, finely diced, 1 1/2 to 2 cups thawed frozen corn kernels, 2 small jalapeno peppers, seeded and finely chopped, 6 cloves garlic, finely chopped, 2 tbsp. chopped fresh thyme (1 tsp dried thyme), 1/2 cup finely chopped flat-leaf parsley, 1/2 cup dry white wine, 3 extra-large organic egg yolks, beaten (reserve the egg whites for baking or breakfasts), 1/2 cup each grated (nutty) Parmesan and (tangy) romano cheese, a handful green onions, diced

I used my fresh chicken eggs and jalapenos and shallots from the garden.

To start off, chop the bacon into bite sized pieces.

Add a little olive oil to the pan and set to medium high heat.

Cook for about 3-4 minutes.

Then add the corn and cook until the corn is slightly browned.  I used thawed frozen corn.

Finely chop the garlic and jalapenos.

Once the corn has browned, add the pepper and garlic,

add thyme, cook another 2 minutes.

Separate 3 eggs, saving the yolks in a large bowl.

Be sure to save the whites for egg omelets.

Then add the chopped parsley,

add wine and simmer on low heat.

 

Take 1 cup of the reserved pasta cooking water and slowly add it to the egg yolks while whisking them, to temper the yolks.

Then add the drained pasta to the corn/bacon mixture.

pour the tempered eggs on top.

Add cheeses.

and diced shallots, and toss everything together.

Serve immediately.

And enjoy!

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Pasta Carbonara with Corn and Chiles

Adapted from Rachel Ray Magazine August 2011

Ingredients

Salt
1 lb. fettuccine pasta
3 tbsp. EVOO
1/4–1/3 lb. bacon, finely diced
1 1/2 to 2 cups thawed frozen corn kernels
2 small jalapeno peppers, seeded and finely chopped
6 cloves garlic, finely chopped
2 tbsp. chopped fresh thyme (1 tsp dried thyme)
1/2 cup finely chopped flat-leaf parsley
1/2 cup dry white wine
3 extra-large organic egg yolks, beaten (reserve the egg whites for baking or breakfasts)
1/2 cup each grated (nutty) Parmesan and (tangy) romano cheese
A handful green onions, diced

Directions:

Bring a large pot of water to a boil, salt it, add the pasta and cook until al dente. Drain, reserving about 1 cup of the pasta cooking water.

While the pasta is working, heat the Olive oil in a large skillet,  over medium-high heat. Add the bacon and brown for about 3 minutes. Add the corn kernels and lightly brown their edges, stirring, about 5 minutes. Add the jalapeno’s, garlic and thyme and stir for 2 minutes. Add the parsley and wine and simmer on low heat.

In a small bowl, slowly beat the reserved pasta cooking water into the egg yolks to temper them.

Add the pasta and egg yolks to the corn sauce and toss. Remove from the heat, add a 1/2 cup of each cheese and toss vigorously to form a silky sauce, 1 to 2 minutes. Serve the pasta in shallow bowls and top with the onions and a sprinkle of cheese on top.

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Eat at Home, “Ingredient Spotlight”