Pasta Carbonara. Hurrah for Chuck and Bobs.

Unlike the hubbie I'm not much of a creamy-meal lover - the idea of my ordering a spaghetti carbonara is as far fetched as asking for a hot-dog at the cinema.  But nonetheless, I do enjoy making creamy meals to keep my loved-one happy and this is the best and easiest one I know.

It is a traditional Italian dish usually made with bacon; however, over the past months I've found it impossible to find free-range back bacon and so I've been using mushrooms instead.  But no more...at last I've found a free-range pork (and other) supplier - 'Chuck and Bobs' http://www.chuckandbobs.com/Chuck_and_Bobs/Home.html.  Amazingly, while they don't ordinarily make back bacon, in favour of the streaky kind, they said they'd prepare some especially for us.  So this week I drove, ironically, to MacDonalds in Durban to pick up a brown paper-bag full of THE MOST DELICIOUS bacon either of us have ever eaten.  It is free from injected brine so there is no curling and horrible scum when frying, and it smells and tastes divine - just like a French alpine charcuterie.  I used some to top my salad while the carbonara was apparently the best the hubbie had ever tasted.

So to those of you this side of SA - get your meat from Chuck and Bobs, and for those further afield - make the effort to find the best meat you can, not only for the animals' sake but also for your own.

Ingredients (serves 1)

1/2 small onion, finely chopped
3 fat garlic cloves, finely sliced
100 g pasta (spaghetti is the norm but I'd run out so penne took it's place)
2 tbsp olive oil
1 free-range egg
150 g single cream
90 g smoked back bacon (free range, or a selection of mushrooms if you're a veggie), cut into small pieces
80 g hard cheese, parmesan or pecorino (plus extra to serve), finely grated
Salt and black pepper

Method

1. Bring a large pan of lightly salted water to the boil and add the pasta.  Cook according to the packet.
2. Meanwhile heat the oil in a frying pan.  Add the onion and garlic and cook over a moderate heat, stirring, until translucent.  Then add your bacon or mushrooms and fry until just cooked.

3. Whisk the egg, cream and cheese together in a bowl and season with pepper.  Then add the onion/bacon mix.
4. Drain the pasta and place back in the saucepan.  Pour over the creamy sauce and stir well.

Serve hot, with an extra sprinkling of cheese and grating of black pepper.