Smoked Salmon Carbonara
- 1/2 pound linguine
- 2 to 3 tablespoons kosher salt
- 2 strips thick-cut bacon, cut into 1/4-inch strips crosswise
- 2 medium size cloves of garlic, minced
- 1/4 cup dry rose or dry white wine (optional)
- 2 large eggs
- 1/2 cup grated Parmesan, plus more for garnishing
- 1/4 cup half-and-half
- generous pinch fresh grated nutmeg
- 1 (6.5 oz) can high quality smoked salmon, drained
- 1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- Bring 5-1/2 to 6 quarts of cold water to a boil in a large pot. Stir in salt when water comes to a full boil.
- Stir in pasta, stirring constantly until pasta is submerged and soft. Reduce heat to medium-high (just enough to get a gentle but active boil.) Stir occasionally as pasta cooks (7 to 8 minutes for al dente). Meanwhile...
- Place bacon in a large skillet over medium heat. Cook until almost crisp, about 4 to 5 minutes, then stir in garlic. Cook until garlic is fragrant, about a minute.
- (Optional) Deglaze pan with wine, scraping up the browned bacon bits. Cook until the wine has reduced to 2 tablespoons.
- Whisk the eggs, Parmesan, half-and-half, and nutmeg together in a bowl or measuring cup while the bacon is cooking and set aside.
- Drain pasta when it is al dente. Reserve about a half a cup or so of the pasta cooking water.
- Place the hot pasta into the deglazed skillet with the bacon and garlic. Turn off the heat.
- Pour the egg mixture into the hot pasta, tossing quickly as you pour. Stir in the drained can of salmon, breaking up the big lumps.
- Stir in 1/4 cup of the reserved pasta water. Sometimes I need 1/4 cup other times I use 1/2 cup or more. The sauce should look creamy.
- Sprinkle pasta with black pepper. Toss well to distribute the pepper. Taste and season with more pepper and/or salt if needed.
- Divide among warmed pasta bowls and garnish with more Parmesan. Serve immediately.
linguine, kosher salt, bacon, garlic, rosue, eggs, garnishing, generous, salmon, freshly ground black pepper
Taken from food52.com/recipes/16256-smoked-salmon-carbonara (may not work)