Cucumber Carbonara
Cooking with cucumbers may seem unusual, but the freshness of the cucumber pairs beautifully with smoky bacon and the richness of the carbonara sauce.
Collards turn bright green and retain a beautiful texture when cooked quickly at a high temperature. I am hard pressed to find a more comforting dish than these bitter collards slicked with spicy, lemony cream tangled in a mess of pappardelle and bacon. When cutting the collard greens, make sure to cut them the same width as the pappardelle.
Ingredients
SERVINGS: 4 Serving(s)
- 1 pound pappardelle
- 4 slices thick-cut bacon, chopped
- 1/2 large bunch collard greens, tough ribs removed, triple-washed (page 18 of cookbook), and cut into strips (about 4 packed cups)
- 4 garlic cloves, finely chopped
- generous pinch of red pepper flakes
- 1 1/2 cups heavy (whipping) cream
- Juice of 1 lemon
- kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
- freshly grated Parmesan cheese, for finishing
- Extra-virgin olive oil, for finishing
Instructions
1. In a large pot of salted boiling water, cook the pasta until al dente. Reserve 1 cup of the starchy pasta water and drain the pasta in a colander; set aside.
2. Return the pot to medium heat and cook the chopped bacon until golden. Transfer the crispy bacon to paper towels to drain. Add the collards to the hot bacon fat (they will spit as soon as they hit the fat). Once the sizzling subsides, return the pot to medium heat and saut. the collards until they turn bright green, about 1 minute. Toss in the garlic and red pepper fl akes and stir for 30 seconds.
3. Add the cream and lemon juice and simmer until the sauce thickens slightly, about 5 minutes. Season with salt and black pepper.
4. Turn off the heat. Add the pasta and reserved crispy bacon to the sauce along with about half of the reserved pasta water to loosen the sauce. Toss, toss, toss! Add more pasta water if needed. Cover the pot with a lid for 1 minute.
5. Divide the pasta among four warm bowls (see Tip, page 174).
6. Sprinkle with grated Parmesan, drizzle with extra-virgin olive oil, and dust with black pepper.
About this recipe
From the book: FOR THE LOVE OF THE SOUTH by Amber Wilson. Copyright © 2018 by Amber Wilson. Reprinted courtesy of Harper Design, an imprint of HarperCollins Publishers.
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