This Jazzy Chicken Carbonara is a simple and modern take on Chicken Carbonara, the classic Italian dish which traditionally uses Spaghetti noodles. This recipe calls for Vermicelli for the pasta, and uses cream cheese instead of whipping cream for the sauce. If you prefer, you can opt to use whipping cream or spaghetti for a less modern approach to this recipe. This recipe creates about 4-6 servings.
Ingredients:
2 eggs
1 tablespoon of olive oil
1 cup of grated Parmesan cheese
6 ounces of Pancetta bacon or regular bacon. Cut into strips
Smoked ham or canadian bacon
1/2 cup of green onions diced
2 egg yolks
1/2 cup of cream cheese
1/4 cup of milk
8 ounces of vermicelli cooked drained
1/4 cup of butter
1 clove of crushed garlic(optional)
In a small bowl beat whole eggs and whisk 1/2 cup of the parmesan cheese into a mix. (Save the other half of cheese to remain in the bowl and set aside.)
In a medium skillet, add olive oil to coat. Cook pancetta or regular bacon until crisp. Keep 1 tablespoon of the bacon fat for taste and drain the rest. Add in your garlic and green onion and saute with pancetta/regular bacon. Separately fry your canadian bacon or smoked ham in another pan(for crisp, and then mix it with the previous bacon, garlic and onion mix. Set aside.
In a regular sized bowl, whisk your 2 egg yolks, cream cheese and milk together. Stir in the bacon and ham/canadian bacon mix. Add to a large skillet and cook over low heat until edges boil. Careful to not burn or over-cook sauce mixture(it will add a burnt or bitter taste).
In a separate pan where you have already drained and cooked your noodles, add butter until your pasta is fully enveloped. Next add in course parsley and stir into pasta and butter mix.
Stir your pasta mix with your bacon and/or ham mixture into one unified saucer. Serve with the extra bowl of Parmesan cheese and garnish with extra parsley (optional)
Chicken Carbonara with Asparagus
1 tsp olive oil
1/2 lb thin asparagus, trimmed and cut into pieces
2 sliced shallots
1/8 tsp sea salt
1/4 teaspoon of ground black pepper
2 cloves of chopped garlic
3 links of diced cooked chicken sausage
2 large eggs
1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
8 ounces of spaghetti cooked
In a large skillet heat oil on medium-high. Add asparagus, shallots, salt and pepper. Sauté for about 4 minutes, until lightly browned. Add in 1/3 cup of water and simmer until asparagus is crisp but tender. Reduce heat to low and continue to simmer adding in garlic. Stir until garlic has softened. Place in a medium bowl.
On medium add sausage to skillet. Cook until sausage is lightly browned and cooked throughout. Next add the cooked sausage to the bowl with asparagus.
In a small bowl whisk eggs, cheese and pepper pepper and set aside. In a large saucer pan and cooked pasta to egg mixture and heat for about 1-2 minutes on low until thick and creamy. Next add your asparagus mixture to th pasta. Serve with a cup of additional parmesan cheese for added flavor (optional).
