I’ve been in bed with flu for the past few days, it crept up on me gradually whilst I was in Glasgow. It didn’t spoil my weekend and I still made it to the Take That concert on Sunday night but by Monday I was lying on the sofa at my aunt’s house feeling really ill and rather sorry for myself. Somehow I managed to catch 2 flights home on Tuesday, it really is a haze.
I’m still feeling pretty ropey but wanted something filling and comforting for lunch today so I turned once again to my trusty copy of Jamie’s Italy by Jamie Oliver. I posted the Spaghetti Tetrazzini recipe from this book a couple of weeks ago and it was a real hit, I’m sure this recipe will be one too.
Stay tuned for a surprise event taking place here next week!
I’d never tried this recipe before but it sounded pretty straight forward and ticked all the right boxes so I thought it was worth trying.
LINGUINE ALLA CARBONARA DI SALSICCIA – SAUSAGE CARBONARA
Serves 4
INGREDIENTS
- 4 Good quality organic Italian sausages (I used sausages from the Italian part of Switzerland with garlic)
- Olive oil
- 4 Slices of thickly cut pancetta, chopped (I used streaky bacon)
- Sea salt and freshly milled black pepper
- 455g Dried linguine (I used spaghetti)
- 4 Large egg yolks, preferrably organic
- 100ml Double Cream
- 100g Parmesan Cheese, finely grated
- Zest of 1 lemon
- 1 Sprig of flat leafed parsley, chopped (I didn’t have any parsley)
- Extra virgin olive oil
PREPARATION
- Remove the sausagemeat from the skins and roll into small meatballs (approx. 2cm in diameter).
- Heat some olive oil in a frying pan, fry the meatballs gently until golden. Add the pancetta to the pan and continue to cook.
- Cook the pasta as directed on the packet, when tender, drain reserving some of the cooking liquor.
- Add the cream, egg yolks, half the cheese, lemon zest, parsley and mix thoroughly
- Once the pasta is cooked add the egg mixture to the pan of drained pasta along with the sausage and pancetta and mix thoroughly. It is VERY important that this step is conducted with the pan off of the heat to avoid scrambling the eggs. The retained heat of the pasta will cook the eggs and thicken the sauce.
- If the sauce becomes too clagy then add some of the reseved cooking water until it becomes smooth and silky.
- Sprinkle over the rest of the cheese and serve immediately!
Hi Pamela,
I hope you’re feeling much better! This pasta dish is gorgeous … lovely picture. I’ve made carbonara at home several times and it never turns out exactly right. I’ll have to give this one a try.
Take care!
Hey Pam,
Look forward to our surprise next week!
This looks really yummy!
Great suggestions for food Pam… Loved your site.
…a few more for your last dish…
Carbonara’s of any type:
A farfale (bow tie) or wider noodle (pappardelle) always works better. It will hold more base/sauce. Always.
Roll your sausage in small bite size pieces for thorough
cooking and always use fresh everything you can, including the eggs. Never use products that have been in your fridge for a long time.
Also let your cream, eggs and cheese breathe for at least 2 to 3 hours before you actually add them into your recipes. (You may slightly cover them to protect from skinning, but temperature is important. Make sure you add the egg as the very last ingredient over the heated mixture of meat and pasta, for the egg will cook too fast if thrown in at once.
And one more thing, the wine you use in the recipe should also be the same wine sipped with the meal. Always.
Helpful suggestive branding:
Bacon (use Nueskie’s -and cut into long strips. The longer the better! Great curl for presentation.)
Sausage (suggest Bobak’s if you know it! as well as Nueske’s)
Cream (never milk or half & half) Always real heavy whipping.
Real butter only! (No margarines or substitutes)
With much care,
Rob
A true Sicilian artist with great taste in foods and the arts.
Please check out some of my fine art. (abstract)
(Google Image Search: “Robert Piar”)
Thanks for the tips Rob they are truly appreciated!!