Fettuccini Carbonara
Traditional carbonara has egg and no cream. Alfredo sauce is cream based, but this recipe adds pancetta and peas to it. It’s the hybrid that my family loves. It is often requested on birthdays or just when we need an easy comfort food.
Tips:
If you don’t have pancetta you can substitute bacon. Pancetta is salt cured vs. the smoked bacon, so your dish will have a smokey element to it, but still be delicious.
Don’t throw away all the fat rendered with the pancetta. I keep a mason jar by my stove and use it to sauté when I want that salty taste added to a dish.
This dish calls for a long noodle- spaghetti, fettuccini, tagliatelle. Although I’ve added tortellini to the sauce and no one complained!
Fettuccini Carbonara
Serves 4
PREP 5 minutes
COOK 10 minutes
INGREDIENTS
1 lb. fettuccini
3 tablespoons of butter
1 cup heavy cream
1 cup of grated parmesan
1 cup of frozen peas, thawed
4 oz. pancetta, diced
Pepper to taste
INSTRUCTIONS
In a large pot prepare the fettuccini according to In a large sauté pan, render the fat and crispy up the pancetta. Remove the pancetta to a paper towel lined plate until later.
Remove all but a tablespoon of the fat left over from the pancetta. Add the butter and melt until bubbles subside. Add the cream and cook until it is thickened, about 5 minutes. Add parmesan and combine.
Add the peas, pancetta and cooked fettuccini into the sauce and toss until all the pasta is well coated. Use the pasta water to thin out the sauce if needed.
Grind pepper to taste and serve.