The weather has been absolutely crazy the last several weeks! From an early spring to tornado spawning storms on a weekly basis and now an over-abundance of rain, I am feeling just as soggy and drenched as our overly saturated yard which is beginning to look like a pond! The rain is such a blessing remembering back to last summer’s severe heat and drought, but I do wish it were spread out a little bit more! The kids are getting cabin fever from not being able to play soccer, ride their bikes, or cut through the field to see their great-grandparents, and I would like to clean my house, not just the living room over and over.
When it’s rainy and dreary outside, comfort food is going to be on my menu. I like to think of the things that remind me of childhood. Pasta is just one of those dishes. Mother used to make the absolute best mac & cheese, spaghetti, tuna-noodle casserole, or her homemade version of “Hamburger Helper”. The kids love pasta as much as I always did, but it is not a dish that Audley enjoys so much. He happens to be in Phoenix this week for work, so our menu needed a good dose of comfort to get us through the next five days of rain.
Tomato based sauces are the most common topping for pasta dishes, but searching around for ideas I came up with a recipe that utilizes some fresh spring ingredients right here on our little farm. I have never had spaghetti carbonara before, but looking at different variations of the dish, I decided to attempt it for us.
Give a try, we loved it!
Spaghetti Carbonara
*Olive oil
*Prosciutto, chopped
*2 cloves of garlic, minced
*1/2 cup Riesling
*3 (room temperature) eggs, beaten
*3/4 cup Parmesan Cheese, shredded
*Kosher Salt & fresh ground Pepper
*1 pound Angel hair pasta
*12 stalks fresh asparagus
*fresh parsley, finely chopped
Prepare your water for your pasta according to package directions. At the same time, bring a saucepan of salted water to boil for your asparagus.
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| I gathered this from our garden! Isn’t it gorgeous?! |
In a skillet, add about a tablespoon of olive oil and the prosciutto. Let the prosciutto a minute or two, then add the garlic along with another tablespoon of oil and cook until the prosciutto is browned. Stir in the wine and cook until the liquid begins to reduce, about a minute or so.
Cook your pasta in it’s prepared pot, and add your asparagus to the small saucepan of boiling water you should have ready. Let the asparagus cook about a minute and immediately add to cold water to stop the cooking process. Trim the asparagus so that you can use the tender tips. Drain your pasta, reserving about a 1/4 -1/2 cup of the cooking water.
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| I love the variety of eggs our hens lay! |
In a large serving bowl, take the beaten eggs and mix well with the shredded Parmesan cheese. Add a teaspoon of kosher salt to this mixture.
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| Shred your own cheese, it tastes so much better! |
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| Even mixed with Parmesan cheese you can see how bright the yolks of fresh eggs are! |
Moving fast, add your hot pasta to the egg mixture and toss to combine. Add as much of the reserved water from the pasta to the mixture to help create a nice sauce for the pasta.
Add the prosciutto and freshly ground pepper to the pasta, mixing well.
Serve the pasta and top it with your fresh asparagus and sprinkle with fresh, chopped parsley.
This dish was so easy to make, and was enjoyed by all of us. I loved the fact that I was able to use a few of the fresh things that are from our farm: eggs, parsley, and asparagus. It makes me really look forward to planting our garden in a few weeks!
What is comfort food for you?
Fiddle Dee Dee by Jennifer Jones 
I can believe you wasted those awesome eggs and fresh asparagus on pasta.
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