No Eggcream Carbonara Recipes

CREAMY PARMESAN CARBONARA CHICKEN

Steps:

• Season the chicken with salt and pepper. In a shallow bowl, combine the flour and parmesan cheese. Dredge seasoned chicken in the flour mixture; shake off excess and set aside.
• Heat the oil and butter in a large non stick pan or well-seasoned cast iron skillet over medium-high heat until butter has melted and pan is hot. Fry the chicken until golden on each side, cooked through and no longer pink (about 4-5 minutes per side, depending on the thickness of your chicken). Transfer onto a warm plate.
• Add the bacon strips to the pan and fry until crispy. Drain off some excess fat, keeping about 1 teaspoons worth in the pan. Add the onion and garlic and fry until onion is transparent (about 1 minute). Reduce heat to low heat, and add the half and half (or cream). Bring the sauce to a gentle simmer; season with a little salt and pepper to your taste. Add in the parmesan cheese, and allow the sauce to simmer until the parmesan cheese has melted slightly. (If the sauce is too runny for your liking, add the cornstarch/water mixture into the centre of the pan and mix through fast to combine into the sauce. It will begin to thicken immediately).
• Add the chicken back into the pan to serve.
• Serve with steamed vegetables (broccoli and/or cauliflower work best), over zucchini noodles, your favourite pasta, or rice.

CREAMY CARBONARA (NO EGG)

Steps:

• Bring a large pot of water to boil, add a generous amount of salt to the pot and the pasta. Cook according to packet instructions. Reserve 1/4 cup of pasta water, then drain the pasta and set aside.
• Meanwhile, heat oil and butter in a frying pan on medium heat. Add onion, bacon and mushrooms to the pan and cook, stirring, for 5 minutes or until the bacon is crisp and mushrooms are tender.
• Reduce heat to low, then add cream, 1/4 cup of reserved pasta water and the cooked penne pasta and cook, stirring regularly, until the liquid has reduced into a thick creamy sauce. Remove the frying pan from heat and add a good handful of shredded parmesan cheese, tossing through the pasta.
• Serve immediately with extra parmesan cheese on top and garnish with chopped parsley, if desired.

NO-CREAM CARBONARA

Steps:

• Get the spaghetti boiling in plenty of salted water.
• Heat olive oil in pan over medium-high heat and fry the pancetta for 1-2 minutes. Transfer to a bowl.
• Beat the egg lightly using a fork in another bowl.
• When the pasta is cooked, drain it but put a bowl under the colander in order to retain some of the water; you may need that later.
• Now return the pasta to the pan, and stir in first the pancetta with the hot oil, and then the beaten eggs. The egg will cook in the heat from the pasta, but here is where the flair comes in; you need to stir the egg into the mix so that it cooks into a cream and not hundreds of pieces of tiny omelette.
• Add the cheese, and if the mixture is too dry, stir in a little of the cooking water from the pasta (no more than a spoonful). Cook until the cheese just starts to melt and the egg is still creamy.
• Serve with coarse-ground black pepper.

NO EGG/CREAM CARBONARA

Steps:

• Cook spaghetti according to package directions.
• Meanwhile, cook bacon in a large skillet over medium-high heat until golden brown. Add onion and garlic and saute 3 minutes, until onion is soft.
• Add oregano and cook 1 minute. Add flour and stir to coat onion.
• Add milk and bring to a simmer. Cook 5 minutes, until sauce thickens, stirring frequently.
• Remove from heat and stir in sour cream, Parmesan and parsley.
• Season, to taste, with salt and black pepper.
• Drain pasta and toss with sauce to coat. Serve.