Cooking on CT Style with Teresa Dufour and Scott McDonnell making my classic carbonara, Roman style, with shrimp and bacon was an absolute blast this week! Traditionally, carbonara is made without the shrimp but we had a few birthdays here at WTNH Channel 8 this month so I wanted to make it extra special. The Americanized version of carbonara has the addition of heavy cream and peas.
You’ll be amazed to see how easy it is to make this scrumptious carbonara, Roman style. I love showing you how to make simple dishes with gourmet results . The only ingredients 
you’ll need to make this classic carbonara are eggs, bacon, grated cheese and pasta water! There’s nothing better then being able to whip up something incredible for your family or surprise guests in a snap with staple ingredients right in your frig!
The very cool wedding topper candle was donated by my friend Sandra and it’s has changed my whole outlook on putting ordinary candles on a cake. It lights up big enough to get the oohs and ahs, then disappears into thin air…a great invention!
You shouldn’t think twice about making this Pavlova for your Labor Day celebration either! It’s light and refreshing and you’ll seriously find yourself going back for seconds. Enjoy your weekend!
Here are some other recipes you may want to make for your festive weekend like Roasted Blue Cheese Dressing on Ice Berg Wedges with Candied Bacon, Mini Beef Wellingtons, Shrimp Jambalaya, Buffalo Chicken Dip or even something sweet like Eileen’s Famous Chocolate Chip Cookies!
Ingredients:
- 1/2 lb. bacon cubed up or thick cut bacon
- 1 lb. extra-lg shrimp, peeled and de-veined
- 1 lb. Spaghetti
- 1/3 cup hot pasta water
- 1/3 cup white wine
- 6 egg yolks
- 1 whole eggs
- 2 tbsp finely diced shallots
- 1/2 cup Reggiano, plus more for garnish
- 1/2 cup Pecorino, plus more for garnish
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1/4-1/2 tsp crushed blk pepper
- 1/2 cup finely chopped flat-leaf parsley & 1/2 cup grated cheese for garnish
Directions:
- Whisk egg yolks and whole eggs together in a large bowl
- Whisk in both grated cheeses to combine, then set aside
- Begin to bring salted pasta water to a boil
- Cook cubed up bacon in a large sauté pan until golden
- When golden and crispy remove bacon and drain reserving 2 tbsp
- Add pasta to boiling water and cook until al-dente, having some tooth
- Add 2 tbsp bacon fat back to pan, then add in shrimp and shallots and cook thru, approx. 2 minutes on each side
- De-glaze shrimp & shallots with 1/3 cut white wine
- Simmer 1 minute to reduce, then add cook bacon back in and remove from heat
- Add in 1/3 cup of the hot pasta water to sauté pan
- Drain cooked pasta
- Add hot, drained pasta on top of shrimp and bacon in sauté pan
- Pour egg/cheese mixture on top of the pasta and begin to swirl pan and mix vigorously with tongs helping the liquids to emulsify the egg mixture into a creamy sauce
- At this point you can transfer this mixture back to “egg/cheese mixture” bowl for more room to mix the pasta around
- You can add more grated cheese at this point to thicken up the sauce if its too loose (DO NOT put back on the stove)
- Pour out onto a large platter and top with 1/2 cup Parmesan and parsley