So I really don't have much to add here. This is Pancetta Carbonara and it's GOOD! Very good. Ok, very, very good! I found the recipe from my buddy, Tyler Florence. Check out his picture. Yeah, my photo depicts a family style dish and as you can see, my sabayon was slightly overdone, but it still tasted great (sabayon can turn into a custard and be used in a lot of desserts). The reason it was over done? I didn't trust what Tyler wrote in the instructions for sabayon. He said, "It should be frothy and creamy when done." But I couldn't get it out of my head thinking, there's no way, it's not thick, it needs to be thick. Follow the instructions and learn from my mistake!

I used freshly made spinach noodles. Why? Since the kids are having a difficult time eating vegetables - now they're embedded in the noodles! And man were they better than the stuff out of the box. The pancetta adds a saltiness to the dish, but not enough for my taste, so I added some to the sabayon, to taste. Also, keep in mind that the parmesan will add salt too to the dish.


Recipe courtesy Tyler Florence

Yield: serves 4

Time: 1 hour 15 minutes

2 recipes of fresh pasta dough, rolled out and cut as spaghetti

extra-virgin olive oil

1/3 lb pancetta, cut into thin strips

7 garlic cloves, thinly sliced

1 bag (about 3 cups) baby spinach

1/4 cup grated parmesan

Parmesan Sabayon:

6 large eggs

1 cup milk

1 cup heavy cream

1/2 cup grated parmesan

plenty of freshly ground black pepper

Begin by rolling and cutting the fresh pasta into spaghetti. Toss in a little flour to stop the noodles from sticking together and spread out on a sheet tray to dry while you prepare the dish.

Set a large pan over medium heat, add a splash of olive oil and fry the pancetta, stirring occasionally until crispy. About halfway through, add the thinly sliced garlic and cook until golden. Drain pancetta and garlic on a paper towel. Drop the pasta into the boiling water and cook until tender yet firm (“al dente”, as they say in Italian) 2 to 3 minutes for fresh pasta. Drain, and put the pasta into a big pasta bowl.

Make the parmesan sabayon. In a large mixing bowl, add eggs, milk and cream. Set over a double boiler and vigorously mix with an immersion blender until it just starts to thicken and suspends a little – about 7-8 minutes. It should be frothy and creamy when done. Add plenty of freshly ground black pepper and parmesan and mix once more to combine. Pour the sabayon over the noodles and mix gently with tongs so the pasta is well coated. Portion out amongst bowls, top with a spoonful of crispy pancetta and garlic and a small handful of baby spinach. Finish with a drizzle of olive oil, a few turns of freshly ground black pepper and some grated parmesan.