Sunday Supper - Spaghetti Carbonara

We love find ways to use products we produce. Our star right now is our fresh organic eggs. Feeding chickens an all organic diet; including vegetable, herb, and fruit scraps, really makes a difference. They also free range within a big run attached to their coop giving them room to exercise and forage in their area for bugs. With our farm eggs compared to store eggs we should get additional vitamins (A, E, and D) and omega-3s as well as lower cholesterol and lower saturated fat. Not to mention the rich flavor difference!

We always try to sit down for Sunday Supper together to talk about the weekend and get prepared for the week. My meal is something hearty that I know the crowd will love based on ingredients we have from the farm, fridge, and freezer. One of the most requested is Carbonara pasta. JR and I fell in love with it while in Italy because of the simple ingredients and rich flavor. With only a few ingredients the quality of those ingredients matters so much. The closest we get to replicating the one that was so divine in Rome is using our farm fresh eggs, great parmesan, box pasta (from Italy is recommended), and fresh garlic.

Ingredients:

1 box of spaghetti or angel hair (deciccio is our preferred)

6-8 slices of bacon

1.5 cups of parmesan

2 cloves of garlic (minced)

4-5 eggs depending on the size

Fresh ground pepper

Cut bacon into tiny pieces and saute over medium-high until crisp and brown. Add garlic in for the last minute or two to allow it to become fragrant and incorporate.

Boil pasta with a little salt in the water as box suggests. Once done reserve 1/2 cup of the pasta water to help temper the eggs.

Add cooked pasta to the pot with the cooked bacon and garlic and mix together .

Whisk eggs, add 1 cup of parmesan and fresh ground pepper. Slowly incorporate 1/4 to 1/2 cup of pasta water whisking vigorously to bring the eggs up in temperature (and so they don't scramble).

Immediately add egg mixture into the pasta mixture combining and mixing all the way through.

Top with additional pepper to taste and more fresh parmesan cheese.

We pair with a side salad like a caesar, a good loaf of Italian bread, and a nice glass of white wine!

Enjoy!