Jerk Carbonara
This Jerk Carbonera recipe is a flavorful Caribbean spin on a popular pasta dish. Plus, it's a one pot meal!
Ingredients
- 1 lb spaghetti
- 2 tsp jerk seasoning (I recommend using medium hot)
- 6 strips thick bacon, cut into 1 1/2 in cubes
- 4 cloves garlic, chopped
- 2 eggs
- 1 cup grated Parmesan cheese
- salt and pepper
- handful thyme
Instructions
- Fill a large pan with water and bring to a boil. Salt heavily, then cook pasta according to package directions.
- While pasta is cooking, add jerk seasoning to bacon and stir until fully coated. Add bacon to a heavy bottom cast iron pan, then cook on medium until slightly crispy, about 5 minutes. Use a slotted spatula to remove bacon from pan and transfer to a paper towel lined plate. Add garlic to pan with bacon fat and saute for 2-3 minutes, until garlic is fragrant and translucent.
- Add eggs to a bowl along with grated cheese, salt and pepper. Whisk vigorously until cheese dissolves into the mixture. Set aside.
- Once the pasta is done cooking, drain and reserve about 1 cup of the pasta water. Add about 1/4 cup of the reserved pasta water to your cast iron pan with the garlic and bacon fat still in the pan, and turn the heat up to medium high, until the comes to a boil. Add pasta and use a spatula to toss the pasta, until it is completely coated in the pasta water.
- Turn off the heat. Wait about 30-45 seconds, until the water is no longer boiling. We will use the residual heat from the pan to cook the sauce. Now, working quickly, alternate between adding the whisked egg/cheese mixture and pasta water to the pan, tossing quickly to prevent the eggs from scrambling. I started with about a 1/3rd of the egg/cheese mixture, then added a few tablespoons of reserve pasta water, tossed the pasta in the mixture, then I repeated until the egg mixture was done. Continue stirring and allow the mixture to emulsify and form a sauce. If desired, add more pasta water until sauce reaches your desired consistency. I used about 2/3 cup of pasta water in total.TIP: Working with the heat off and adding pasta eater helps to prevent the eggs from cooking too quickly.
- Once the sauce reaches your desired consistency, add the cooked bacon and thyme. Taste and adjust salt and pepper as necessary. Toss the pasta so the bacon and sauce are evenly distributed throughout. Serve immediately.
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