Pasta alla Carbonara

[Thermomixer]

bron posted this at http://www.forumthermomix.com/index.php?topic=898.msg4664#msg4664

http://www.recetariocanecositas.com/receta/?rec=598
Will do a quick translation for you, its a really quick, throw it all in, no mess recipe  
Obviously I am sure there will be more gourmet ways of making it, with sauce and then pasta separate, but this does work well for an everyday meal! Only thing is serves 2 adults only or 1 adult and 2 kids. But takes 15 mins only   how fab is that. A real emergency lunch or dinner!  

NIDOS DE PASTA A LA CARBONARA
For 2 only

Ingredients:
150g tagliatelle (not tested for any other pasta)
450g warm water
200g thick cream
1 small tub of bacon bits
1 spoon orégano
1 spoon garlic powder (optional)
1 spoon salt
1 beaten egg
Grated cheese
To Prepare:
Grate cheese speed 5 to 10, keep aside.
Place all the ingredients in Thx except the egg and program 15 mins, temp. 100º, Spoon soft, reverse speed. (If you like your pasta soft, cook extra 2 mins.)
2 mins before the end, pour egg through the hole. Pour into serving dish, turn it upside down and turn the black screw part of the bottom of the blades, back and forth and all the pasta will fall out easily. Sprinkle cheese over the top.

Please note, these times and amounts are exactly for tagliatelle (dried pasta) and not macarrones or any other pasta. Although it may appear too much water for the amount of pasta, the end result is perfect, by the time you pour it in to teh serving dish and sprinkle with cheese and serve on the table, it will be perfect in the picture, as shown in Alicia's blog, please see photos on link above!!

members' comments

vivacity - I threw everything in the TM, hoped that the recipe wouldn't turn out too gloopy because of the amount of water and .... it was delicious! Thanks for posting the recipe.

porl - OMG it worked. I wouldn't serve it in a restaurant but we and the kids ate every scrap. It was delicious.  I used my own cured & smoked bacon and increased everything in the recipe by 33%.

faffa -
Made this last night (also using the 33% more method). Made the first batch and threw it into the Thermoserver, then threw a second one in to cook while I rallied the troops and got the table set . Woo hoo meal big enough for all 7 easy as that!

Chelsea - the flavour was just beautiful.  The only problem was that the egg cooked a bit without mixing in and we had some cooked egg bits through it - was still very nice. I'm guessing this shouldn't have happened though and am wondering where I went wrong?

Bron - Chelsea, I just throw it in (beaten) about 30 seconds before the end. Then pour into dish and leave to stand for a couple of mins.

Chelsea - Thanks so much ladies!!!  I think I may have been pouring it in too slowly.

Sundari -  Love the quick easy option. Bit creamier than I personally like but DD gave it the thumbs up. I often do a carbonara with egg only no cream but I will keep this one on standby for meals needed in under 20 min.

Brazen - I managed to nearly double it without any trouble. However it probably was a bit much sauce to pasta.

salval - I wanted something easy.. And it was lovely. In the past, I've bought the sauce in a tub when I wanted something quick, (always feeling guilty as I knew it would be loaded with numbers), so I'm rapt to have this now!

Thermolicious - Just tried this and it is bliss.

Bubbles - I just love this recipe. Have made it a few times now and find it so easy. I also add mushies in the beginning as well-yum. Thank you.

curly66 - I ended up using 330 gm of tagliettali (sp?) a 375 can of carnation milk, a 300 bottle of cream, 100 gm of white wine PLUS water, PLUS 2 eggs, plus the cheese and even though there was a lot of sauce, it was rich as anything, but really yum..  couldn't have a second bowl but yum. If you don't want it rich, don't use the cream...

josephinecooks - I have made this recipe more times than I can remember. It's fantastic. I have made a couple of changes.
Before starting I use 1 or 2 cloves of fresh garlic, blitz first, then add the other ingredients.
I personally don't like egg, so I omit that altogether. I can't say that it tastes any different, perhaps I use a little extra Parmesan.
I found the recipe was really only suitable for 2 adults so have made the following adjustments to suit our family of 2 adults 2 children.

250g pasta
600g of warm water
300 grams of cream.
And I will cook it for a little longer as per instructions for 20 minutes.
Have also used all different pasta, spaghetti, macaroni, gluten free, fettuccine, they all seem to work.
Thanks for sharing such a great easy to make meal.

Thermomixer - in regard to a question re using fresh pasta.  
I'd be inclined to try with only about 100 ml water and cook everything except the pasta and egg for 10 minutes, then add the pasta and cook for 3 minutes and then add the egg and mix without heat - just gently mix it thru on reverse and let the heat in the mix to cook the egg. You can add some water if it looks too thick.

JD - Followed your instructions Thermomixer - just needed an extra 50 mls water.  Was a little rich for me with cream (used low fat variety) so will try it with Carnation Evaporated Milk next time.
 

[bron]

Thanks Thermomixer 

[vivacity]

I made this a couple of evenings ago, because I was too tired from marking exam papers to even put my shoes on to get a pizza. I threw everything in the TM, hoped that the recipe wouldn't turn out too gloopy because of the amount of water and .... it was delicious! Thanks for posting the recipe

[bron]

Thanks for your feedback, am pretty sure that the other recipe is far superior, however it's quick and easy and delicious all in 15 mins! Pleased you enjoyed it, for me its a Saturday lunch saviour, whilst I am unpacking the shopping!

[Thermomixer]

Thanks for the feedback vivacity, always good to see that people are using the recipes and that they are working in your hands.

bron - I don't know that the other recipes would be superior, this is easy and with lots of cream and bacon you can't go too far wrong. 

[MrSpock]

Carbonara was the first meal I tried on my Thermomix, and it was horrible. When I told Hubby that I would try again, he rolled his eyes and got the peanut butter ready. When he tried bron's Carbonara, his only words were "Print that one". Hee!

The way it turned out, I wouldn't be hesitant to serve this to company. It's great, thank you for sharing the recipe!

Forgot to say... For the other airheads like me: Don't forget that the content of the bowl is VERY HOT, so when you drop the blades, there will be hot steam coming out of the hole, and if your fingers are still there like mine were, it will hurt like hell. 

[bron]

Pleased to hear!  My DDs love this recipe in fact they make it themselves now!!!! Its soooo easy! I don't have garlic powder so we just blitz a clove before we start (after grating the cheese) it works lovely too!

[porl]

OMG it worked.

I am a food fascist and this is the first time I have used my wife's robot, I mean  Thermomixer. 

I wouldn't serve it in a restaurant but we and the kids ate every scrap.

How's this, I even left out the cream from the beginning, so at the very last action after the egg, I dropped in half the cream amount as I was worried it would be too wet.

Was delicious.  I used my own cured and smoked bacon though, I think that made a difference, though can't fault the cooking process, which is I suppose what the TM is all about.

Also, I put in 33% more pasta and increased every amount in the recipe by a  calibrated 33%, though used two small eggs (our chickens), and it worked out perfect (without trying the original recipe).

[Thermomixer]

Great to hear - always love feedback on recipes, good or bad.  Thanks to bron for another really successful number.

PS -welcome porl - good to see you posting 

[faffa_70]

Made this last night (also using the 33% more method lol). Made the first batch and threw it into the Thermoserver, then threw a second one in to cook while I rallied the troops and got the table set . Woo hoo meal big enough for all 7 easy as that!

I made this with fettuccine pasta as DS4 has an egg intolerance (can manage small amounts of it in cakes bisc etc) and was hoping that with minimal sauce he could cope with this but alas no  Will make this for the family again along with something else for DS4 the next time.

[Chelsea (Thermie Groupie)]

I made this for tea tonight and the flavour was just beautiful.  The only problem was that the egg cooked a bit without mixing in and we had some cooked egg bits through it - was still very nice .  I'm guessing this shouldn't have happened though and am wondering where I went wrong?  I'm thinking perhaps I added the egg a bit too quickly or didn't beat it enough.  Any thoughts??

Chelsea 

[porl]

With real carbonara you add the egg off the heat and fold in, well I do, so I guess with the TM on 100C the first egg to hit the pasta will cook .  While the first egg of the pour mmentarily cools down the spots it hits, the egg following does not get to the 70C setting stage so flows even through the pasta.

So how to avoid fully scambled egg bits beyond all possible doubt?  I'd turn the TM off and fold in by hand while it is off the heat, but allowing a few moments for it to cool down, just a bit.

Maybe even pour it all straight out into a pot and then stir the egg in.

Also, with my 33% comments, I think although I put in 33% more water this was probably too much because don't forget I mistakenly forgot to add the cream at that stage.  So factor in that cream is like 80% water or so then that part of the H20 that is in the cream would have assisted in the reydration of the pasta in which case as my pasta turned out great, though a tad on the watery side, it perhaps would have been drowned if I have actually put in 33% more water and 33% more cream at the time intended by the original recipe.

Anyhow, time to experiment.

[Chelsea (Thermie Groupie)]

Thanks so much for the advice.  I haven't ever cooked carbonara before so I had no idea what was going on.  A fair bit of my egg scrambled - perhaps by pouring it in slowly a lot of it reached the setting point as it came into contact with the liquid/pasta.  Do other people pour in slowly or just tip it all in?
Chelsea 

[bron]

Chelsea, I just throw it in (beaten) about 30 seconds before the end. Then pour into dish and leave to stand for a couple of mins.

[faffa_70]

Ditto, I just throw it in already beaten like Bron - hope it helps