What’s Cookin’: Carbonara

Let me start out by saying, this is not my recipe.  It’s actually a recipe that my dad used to make for us when I was younger.  For years I tried to recreate it, but never got anywhere close.  A few years ago, my sister got the recipe and passed it on to me.  It’s from a cookbook from a million years ago, but I don’t know what it is, since I only have a copy of the page.  Regardless of where it came from, it’s a fabulous recipe and too good to keep to myself.

You will need:

1/4 pound mild Italian sausage

1/4 pound prosciutto, thinly sliced (you can substitute cooked ham)

4 Tbsp butter

8 ounces spaghetti

salt

3 eggs, well beaten

1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese, plus a little extra to sprinkle on top

sprinkle of pepper

Step 1 – Finely chop prosciutto and remove sausage from casings.

Step 2 (a) – In a wide frying pan over low-medium heat, melt 2 Tbsp of butter.  Once melted, add prosciutto and sausage.  Cook for approximately 10 minutes or until lightly brown.  Stir frequently.

Step 2 (b) – As soon as you’ve added the prosciutto and sausage to the frying pan, boiling the (salted) water for the pasta.  Cook to al dente.  Drain.

Step 3 – Add spaghetti to the meat mixture in the frying pan.  Then add the remaining 2 Tbsp butter to the mixture and stir until melted.  Mix well.

Step 4 – With a pasta spoon, lift the spaghetti as you pour the beaten egg over top.  Try to get all the noodles covered in the egg mixture.

Step 5 – Sprinkle in the cheese in parts.  This will thicken the pasta mixture.  Sprinkle with pepper then mix again.

It may not be healthy, but wow is it yummy.  Enjoy!