spaghetti carbonara

IngredIenTS: ServeS 6

1 box BArILLA Spaghetti
3 tablespoons kosher salt (optional)
6 fresh large egg yolks
2 tablespoons coarsely ground black pepper
To taste kosher salt (optional)
¼ cup extra virgin olive oil
4 ounces pancetta or guanciale, chopped
into ¼-inch cubes
½ cup freshly grated Parmigiano-reggiano,
plus extra for serving
¼ cup Pecorino romano cheese, grated

PrePArATIOn
• BRING 6 quarts of water to a boil in a large pot and add 3 tablespoons kosher
salt (optional).
• BEAT egg yolks with freshly ground black pepper and salt. Set aside.
• Meanwhile, COMBINE the pancetta and oil in a 12- to 14-inch sauté pan and cook
over medium-high heat until the pancetta has rendered some of its fat and is lightly
browned, about 7 minutes.
• COOK the Spaghetti according to the package instructions until tender yet al dente.
Drain, reserving ²/
³ cup of the pasta water.
• ADD the reserved pasta water to the pancetta and bring to a simmer over
medium heat.
• ADD the Spaghetti to the pancetta mixture, stir and toss well to coat. Stir in
the cheeses.
• ADD the egg mixture and cook until eggs have thickened up, stirring constantly.
• SERVE with additional grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese on the side.

angel hair pasta with peas and bacon

Serves 4 to 6

• Coarse salt and ground pepper
• 4 slices bacon, sliced crosswise into 1/2-inch pieces
• 2 shallots, halved and thinly sliced
• 1 box (10 ounces) frozen peas, thawed
• 1 cup half-and-half
• 18 ounces fresh angel-hair pasta

Directions

1. Set a large pot of salted water to boil. In a large skillet, cook bacon over medium until crisp, 5 to 7 minutes. With a slotted spoon, transfer to a paper-towel-lined plate to drain (leave fat in skillet).
2. Add shallots to skillet; season with salt and pepper. Cook over medium, stirring occasionally, until they begin to soften, 1 to 2 minutes. Add peas and half-and-half; season with salt and pepper. Simmer until slightly thickened, about 2 minutes.
3. Cook pasta in boiling water until al dente, according to package instructions. Reserve 1/2 cup pasta water; drain pasta, and return to pot. Pour sauce over pasta; toss to combine, adding some reserved pasta water a little at a time to coat. Sprinkle with bacon, and serve immediately.

Read more at Marthastewart.com: Fresh Angel-Hair Pasta with Bacon and Peas Recipe - MarthaStewart.com

smoky black bean and rice soup

Smoky Black Bean and Rice Stoup
from Rachael Ray’s Express Lane Meals
Serves 4

3 bacon slices, chopped
1 bay leaf
2 celery ribs
1 med. Onion
4 garlic cloves
1 C frozen corn kernels
2 15 oz. Cans black beans
1 Tblsp. Ground coriander
1 Tblsp. Chili powder
1 ½ tsp. ground cumin
1 Tblsp. Worcestershire sauce
2 tsp hot sauce
salt and pepper
1 15 oz. Can diced tomatoes, fire roasted if you have them
1 8 oz. Can tomato sauce
1 quart chicken stock
1 C uncooked rice

Heat a soup pot over medium-high heat. Add the bacon and cook for 3-4 minutes. Add the bay leaf, celery, onions, and garlic and cook for 3-4 minutes to soften the veggies. Add the corn and 1 can of black beans and their juice. Drain the other can, then add half the can of beans. Mash the remaining beans in the can with a fork to make a paste out of them, then scrape them into the soup pot–this will make the soup thick! Season the veggies and beans with the coriander, chili, ground cumin, Worcestershire, hot sauce, and salt and pepper. Stir in the tomatoes, tomato sauce, and stock. Cover the pot and raise the heat to bring the stoup to a boil. Add the rice and cook the stoup over a rolling simmer until the rice is tender but has a little bite left to it, 15 minutes. Adjust the seasonings and serve.

BLT Bruschetta

from racaelray.com

1/2 package bacon, chopped
1 loaf crusty Italian bread
3 ripe avocados
Juice of 1 lemon, divided
Salt and freshly ground pepper
1 large clove garlic, mashed into paste
2 pints heirloom tomatoes, chopped
4 sprigs tarragon, chopped
1 1/2 cups fresh basil, chopped
3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil (EVOO)

Preparation

Pre-heat a grill or the broiler.

Pre-heat a large skillet over medium-low heat. Add the bacon and cook until crispy. Drain on a paper towel-lined plate and reserve.

Slice the bread into slices about one inch thick. Char them on both sides on the grill or under the broiler. Remove and reserve.

In a medium size mixing bowl, mash up the avocados with the juice of half a lemon, salt, pepper and mashed garlic, then spread some avocado mash onto each piece of sliced charred bread.

In another mixing bowl, mix up the chopped tomatoes with the tarragon, basil, salt, pepper, reserved bacon, the juice of the remaining half lemon and some EVOO. Top each of the avocado smeared bread slices with some of the tomato, bacon and herb mixture.