Well once again I write to you from my own personal test kitchen with a victorious report on my latest recipe re-creation.  I have toyed with this recipe before but never quite got it right.  Until this weekend.  Sadly, I don’t have a picture of my own creation to show you, but fear not, I’ll remedy that soon.  For now, this stock photo will have to suffice in whetting your appetite.

I started with some olive oil in a pan.  Okay, that’s a lie, I ACTUALLY started by boiling salted water for the spiral pasta I needed to make.  THEN the olive oil…Then, to the hot oil, I added some diced onion and minced garlic (I’m a cheater and use the kind from the jar).  To this insanely tantalizing mixture, I added freshly ground black pepper and sea salt.  I also threw in some crushed red pepper for kicks.  While this was sauteeing I chopped five slices of turkey bacon in to small bits (I stacked the slices and cut them in thirds the long way, then sliced these strips into small pieces).  When the onion/garlic deliciousness was nicely browned, I threw in the turkey bacon (I use Jennie-O or Oscar Mayer–pretty much whichever my local market is currently carrying).  I allowed the bacon bits to brown and crisp along with the other goodies and had to excuse myself for a moment in order to clean the drool off my face before proceeding.

At this point the pasta was done (“done” for me = slightly al dente.  No pasta mush for this Mav!) so I strained it and rinsed it in cool water putting it to the side while I finished the sauce.

To the sizzling and caramelized onion mixture, I added some water (this is my problem, I cook by look/taste/feel and haven’t learned yet to measure so that I could write the recipe down.  If I had to guess, “some” = about 1/2-3/4 cups of water).  I stirred the water around making sure to fully deglaze the pan of all the caramelized onion yumminess.  To this, now boiling broth, I added 1/3 stick of cream cheese (1/3 of an 8oz bar that is.  And yes, cream cheese–whoda thunk?!? But I promise, this makes a waaaAAAAAAaay smoother cream sauce AND it reheats delightfully and totally in tact!  If you’ve ever reheated Alfredo then you know about the oily not-at-all-creamy-but-actually-rather-gross-tasting mess that leaves you wondering where all that heavenly Alfredoness went from the night before).  I continue stirring to make sure the cream cheese melts fully.  Then I added a few dashes of non-dairy powder creamer (I know, another totally cheater move; but hey, its the perfect solution for not having fresh cream handy).  Finally I dusted the whole thing with a liberal portion of grated Parmesan cheese.

Of course, you have to check to make sure your sauce is flavorful and add salt, pepper and crush red pepper to your preference.  Stir the sauce until bubbling; at this point it should begin to thicken–add more water or milk if too thick.  Throw in some frozen peas;  stir until peas are thawed (but not overcooked; they should still be crisp and a verdant green).  Finally add the pasta swirls, fold together to coat pasta with sauce.

Serve up a bowl and savor this dish with delight…and with friends; this recipe makes plenty to share!

Pasta Carbonara a la Mav

Step 1
1 lb rotini pasta (boiled to al dente in salted water)

Step 2
3-4  tbsp light cooking olive oil
1/2 yellow onion, diced
1 tsp minced garlic (about 1-2 fresh cloves)
fresh ground black pepper
fresh ground sea salt (or regular table salt)
crushed red pepper (if you like a little kick)
5 slices turky bacon, chopped into small bits
Sautee onions and garlic until golden; add salt, pepper and crushed red pepper.  Next add bacon pieces and sautee until just crisp.

Step 3
1/2 to 1 cup water
1/3 bar of cream cheese (starting with an 8oz bar; add more if you like extra creamy)
dash of non-dairy powdered creamer
3 dashes of grated Parmesan cheese
1/2 cup frozen sweet peas
Add water to sauteed mixture and stir to deglaze pan of caramelized amazingness; allow to boil.  Add cream cheese and creamer; stir to make sure cream cheese is melted and creamer is completely incorporated (you can add more water if sauce is too thick or not enough to cover all the pasta–if you add more water, feel free to add more cream cheese and parm according to your preference).  Throw in dashes of grated Parmesan cheese and frozen peas.  Once peas are thawed, add pasta and fold until pasta is thoroughly coated with sauce.  Serve and enjoy!

Variations
I added some pieces of left-over rotisserie chicken I had on hand but I think what would make this dish an absolute dream is to A. Plan ahead, so you can B. cube chicken breast and marinade in your favorite Italian dressing (Kraft Zezty Italian or Good Seasons are my dressings of choices).  Thread cubes onto metal skewers and toss onto hot grill.  Brush chicken with dressing and turn to grill all sides evenly (sure you could just grill whole chicken breasts and cut them up later, but taking the time to cube and skewer = more deliciously grilled surface area of flavor per square inch of chicken).  Add grilled chicken to pasta mixture and “mmm” and “MMMM” you’re way to culinary euphoria!