Woke up and wanted to make carbonara!

Some days, I wake up determined to do something.  (Other days, I am generally motivated, but not on a tear to get something specific done…)  On Sunday, I was determined to make carbonara, so I did.  Thankfully, I keep all the ingredients stocked in my arsenal, err, kitchen.

Sunday Carbonara

One package of bacon, snipped into 1/2″ pieces
One fist-sized onion, diced
One spoonful of minced garlic
1/2 cup-ish dry white wine (I had chardonnay on hand)
1/2 cup-ish vegetable broth
2 cups cream (I know this measurement… I had made ice cream a few days before and it was leftover!)
1 cup-ish milk
5 handfuls of pecorino romano (or parmesan) (5 handfuls for me is a little less than 2 1/2 cups)
ground black pepper
dash of nutmeg (strong flavor, don’t go crazy)
1/4 cup-ish of parsley flakes (for color, mostly)
pinch of thyme
and your favorite pasta shapes

Using kitchen scissors, snip one package of bacon into 1/2-inch pieces.  You can do this directly into your medium-hot stock pot (big enough for all the liquid ingredients later!) to cut down on the mess.  I cooked half the bacon until crispy, drained the bacon and pot, then made the second half of the package, draining again.

You’ll have a bit of residual grease left in the bottom of the pot.  Use that to cook one diced fist-sized white onion and a spoonful of minced garlic.  Cook until translucent (but covered in yummy, residual bacon bits!)

Turn your pot down to medium heat.  Deglaze the pan using a dry white wine.  Maybe about 1/2 cup?  Add about 1/2 cup of vegetable broth, 2 cups of cream, and 1 cup of milk.  Gently bring the heat up so it reduces by about 1/3.  Add about five handfuls of grated pecorino romano (or parmesan) and gently stir to incorporate.  You won’t need to add any salt to this (between the bacon and cheese, you should be good), but be sure to add ground black pepper, nutmeg, and a pinch of thyme.  Also, I added about 1/4 cup of dried parsley flakes, mostly for the added color.

Let it simmer on low (really low) heat for about 30 minutes.

Serve over your favorite pasta.  I chose whole wheat bow ties.  (The kid in me loves these…)