Hungry? With 5 ingredients (and I do mean 5 – not 5 plus salt, pepper and olive oil – but 5!) and about 15 minutes or so I can make you one of my all-time favorite gluten free recipes. Seriously good and seriously simple. In fact, I was wondering the other day if this was too simple for some purposes.
I was asked “If you were being executed at dawn, what would you request for your last meal?” The first thing that popped into my head was this recipe Gluten Free Spaghetti all Carbonara. (And yes, my last meal would be gluten free – gluten is not my friend, why would I spend my last night on earth with something that is not my friend?) But then I thought that if someone was executing me at dawn, why should I make it easy for them to prepare my last meal? Shouldn’t I make them work for it? Shouldn’t it be expensive, and time consuming and difficult? I mean really!
I haven’t resolved the issue of what my last meal would be yet; hopefully I have time for that. To be honest I think I would probably just request an enormous bottle of tequila because I am not sure I want to face a firing squad stone-cold sober.
But back to this recipe, it is a classic for a reason. Some say the origins of this recipe is that Italian coal miners would whip it up when then got done with their long, hard day’s work in the coal mines. I can understand why; it is quick, filling and it is just so good! I could eat this for dinner, breakfast or lunch. And it is the perfect thing to whip up after a night on the town, when you get home and are hungry (I don’t know why but I always come home from parties hungry!) and tired and possibly in need of a little comfort.
I have tweaked the classic recipe a little to make it easier and even faster. When you want to cook pasta fast, use a large wide pan with a cover instead of a deep one; the larger the surface area, the faster the water will boil and a covered pot will hold the heat better. Use just enough water to cover the pasta and I like to use the organic brown rice spaghetti from Pastariso – it cooks faster than most gluten free pastas, retains its texture (doesn’t get mushy) and I think the brown rice variety is the perfect backdrop for the sauce.
One of the problems people experience when trying to make the Carbonara sauce is that the eggs scramble, creating a lumpy sauce. To keep this from happening, whisk the egg yolks with the cream and half the cheese then add a small ladleful of the hot pasta water and whisk it in, this will “temper” the mixture and keep the eggs from scrambling when finishing the sauce.
Finally I use thick slices of pepper bacon – Carbonara just cries out for pepper and this way the pepper flavor runs through the dish, doesn’t just “sit on top.” It also helps me keep this recipe to just 5 ingredients. If you can’t find pepper bacon just use regular bacon and add freshly ground black pepper.
This recipe is for two people but if you want to increase or decrease the recipe here’s a simple ratio for you – for each person use ¼ pound gluten free pasta, 2 slices of bacon, 2 egg yolks, ½ tablespoon of cream and ¼ cup grated Parmesan cheese.
Personally I could easily polish off this whole batch, eaten right out of the skillet, maybe even still standing over the stove. Because YES, it is that GOOD!
I haven’t ruled this recipe out yet as a final meal request. I’m still thinking it all through. But let me ask you:
If you knew it was your last meal on earth, what would YOU request?
Click here to see my cooking demonstration of this recipe on Daytime TV!
Gluten Free Spaghetti alla Carbonara Recipe
Ingredients
8 ounces Pastariso organic brown rice Spaghetti
4 slices thick cut pepper bacon, cut into ¼ inch slices
4 large egg yolks
2 tablespoons heavy cream
½ cup grated parmesan cheese
Directions
Bring a pot of water to a boil and add the spaghetti. Cook spaghetti for 6 – 8 minutes or until al dente (cooked so as to be still firm when bitten). While the water is boiling, cook the bacon pieces in a large skillet over medium-high heat until the bacon is crispy. Do not drain off the bacon fat. Keep warm.
Whisk the egg yolks with the cream and half the cheese. When the pasta is done, add about 2 or 3 tablespoons of the hot pasta water to the egg mixture and whisk. Drain the spaghetti and add it to the skillet with the bacon. Stir the spaghetti so that it absorbs the bacon flavor. With the skillet off the heat, pour the egg mixture into the skillet and stir quickly. Serve immediately with the remaining Parmesan on the side.
Servings
A gluten free recipe that serves 2.
Ready for dessert?
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Need a quick meal?
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