"Carbonara"

Pasta alla Carbonara - a soul-satisfying Italian favorite originating from the Apennine hills - is traditionally crafted with guanciale (or bacon or pancetta), spaghetti, eggs, parmesan and black pepper. Nothing more. Now, before any battles break out over authentic Carbonara and what ingredients should or should not be present, let me say this... What you are about to see is not a traditional Carbonara. Again, this is NOT a traditional Carbonara.

For our Carbonara, we wanted to feature the rich and vibrant flavors of Skillet Street Food's Bacon Spread. The bright, balsamic notes from the Bacon Spread creates a balanced sauce to complement the richness from the bacon, egg + parmesan to create a delicious variation on this Italian staple.

Ingredients:

Serves 2-4

1/2 lb Tortellini or Your Favorite Pasta Variety

2 Farm Fresh Eggs

1/4 lb Bacon, Guanciale or Pancetta, sliced or cubed

1/4 cup Parmesan Cheese

2 Tablespoons Skillet Street Food Bacon Spread

Fresh Cracked Black Pepper

Sea Salt

Directions:

Generously season approximately 6 quarts of water (fill a medium sized pot or your preferred pasta pot) with sea salt. The water should taste of the ocean. Bring to a boil.

Once water reaches a boil, add pasta and cook until al dente (8-10 minuets).

While the pasta is cooking, add your pork of choice (Bacon, Guanciale, Pancetta). Cook until the meat is golden brown, crispy + it's fat is rendered. Remove from heat if necessary.

Combine eggs + parmesan in a small mixing bowl. Whisk until well mixed.

When your pasta has finished cooking, reserve 1/2 cup of pasta water and strain your pasta.

Add pasta and reserved water to the pan with your pork. The pan should sizzle - stir and combine the pork and pasta until water has evaporated.

Turn off the heat and add in the egg + parmesan mixture along with Bacon Spread, making sure to stir constantly to avoid scrambling the eggs. The residual heat in the pan should be sufficient to cook the eggs. Return to head if necessary. If sauce becomes too thick, add another splash of reserved pasta water.

Once the bacon spread has dissolved into the sauce and the pasta is coated, season liberally with fresh ground black pepper and plate.

Sprinkle with fresh grated parmesan if desired.

Devour.