“We’re not opening the front door,” my hubby said.
He was telecommuting and I wanted to spend the day in sweat pants. It was a bit foggy in Vacaville and it felt cold outside.
Bottom line: we wanted to stay holed up in our warm house with our puppy. So I checked out our fridge for supplies:
- Tortellini
- Eggs
- Bacon
I proposed making a Tortellini Carbonara for dinner.
My buddy Susan said she made Carbonara by separating the egg whites from the yolks. She also based her pasta dishes on Mario Batali’s recipe.
I also remember reading about Ruhlman’s philosophy when it comes to Carbonara. He kept his version simple – eggs, bacon and some parsley as a garnish.
After prepping the eggs and cooking the tortellini shells – it was all a matter of timing. Mark manned the iron skillet and bacon. I added pasta, egg whites, Parmesan cheese and black pepper. He mixed everything up until the pasta was covered in the cheesy mix of eggs and pepper.
Finally, we added the mix to warm bowls and added an egg yolk to each serving.
I dipped a tortellini shell and bacon in the yellow yolk. It was a lovely combo of fatty meat flavors and breakfast. The eggs proved to be a creamy counterpoint to the salt and pepper. It was a satisfying meal at home.
Next time – I’m investing in some really good Italian meat: pancetta, guanciale, something amazing. I will also use fresh Parmigiano-Reggiano.
Promise.