Fettuccine Carbonara

The “Queen” stopped over again to pay a visit. This time we were going Italian style, making fettuccine carbonara out my leftover ham and pasta. I love it when she come by to visit. We always get so creative. 🙂

Carbonara dishes are definitely Italian in origin, but no one is exactly sure what part of Italy it originated in. There is speculation and debate on this. Some people say it hails from Rome and the Lazio region, where others believe it originated in the Naples area because it closely resembles pasta cacio e uova, a Neapolitan dish of pasta tossed with melted lard, beaten raw eggs, and cheese, as documented in Ippolito Cavalcanti’s 1839 Neapolitan cookbook. The word carbonara comes from the word carbonaro, which means coal burner. It is believed it came about by men working outside for long periods of time, and was a hearty, easy to make meal for them. Others trace it to the Allied liberation of Rome in 1944, with American GIs bringing their daily ration of eggs and bacon to local restaurants to add to the limited Italian menu. No one knows for sure, and as with many things, it is surrounded by mystery and speculation.

Any type of pasta can be used for this simple dish, but most often it is spaghetti, linguini or fettuccine. It is a simple, poor man’s dish made from pasta tossed with a creamy sauce of raw beaten eggs, accentuated with crisp bits of guanciale, and finished with a shower of grated aged Pecorino Romano cheese plus freshly ground black pepper. I added ham instead of the guanciale, Italian bacon, and added peas and mushrooms as well. What can I say, I like stuff in my stuff. 🙂

Fettuccine Carbonara

16 oz cooked fettuccine

1/2 lb ham or bacon, cut into batons or thin strips

2 whole eggs + 2 egg yolks

1 cup shredded Parmigiano cheese

1 TBSP garlic

lots of fresh ground black pepper

1- 1 1/2 cups peas

1-1 1/2 cups mushrooms, sliced

olive oil for cooking

Combine the eggs, cheese and pepper together and set aside.

Get a large skillet very hot, then add some olive oil and add the ham, peas, mushrooms and garlic. Cook for about 5-7 minutes, or until everything is hot and the meat is cooked.

When everything is cooked, add the cooked pasta and toss everything together well.

Turn off the heat. Whisk the egg and cheese combination together and add to the pasta mix. Mix everything together thoroughly.

Serve immediately after, with a cool, crisp chardonnay, or Pinot Grigio on the side and enjoy. !Mangia!

This is a quick, easy-peasy, hardy meal that will keep everyone coming back for more.

Happy New Year everyone. May it be a healthy, happy, prosperous year for all. ‘Til next time.