Italian Sausage Carbonara

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I made Jamie Oliver's Italian Sausage Carbonara for our casual New Year's Eve celebration. My husband and I go crazy for this pasta. I served it with my garlic crostinis (of course), broccoli with butter and chicken bouillon (of course again) and my sister-in-law brought a yummy salad with pears, pecans and blue cheese. A perfect dinner.

Italian Sausage Carbonara

Adapted from Jamie Oliver

4 good-quality hot Italian sausages (I buy this at the Ballard Farmers Market from Skagit River Ranch)

olive oil

1 package dried spaghetti or linguine

1/4 cup white wine (or less)

2 T garlic, minced

4 large organic egg yolks (also from Skagit River Ranch)

1/2 c cup heavy cream

1/2 - 1 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese

zest of 1 lemon

2 T flat leaf parsley, minced

garlic salt

kosher salt

freshly ground pepper

This is like having a breakfast dish of pasta and it is absolutely delicious! If you are a fan of sausages and eggs you’ll love this combination. Not only does it look impressive but it’s so quick to make. There’s a subtle line between having a smooth, silky egg sauce and scrambled eggs – both will taste delicious but smooth and silky is far more desirable.

Bring a large pot of water to a boil.

With a sharp knife, slit the sausage skins lengthways and pop all the meat out. Roll little balls of sausage meat about the size of large marbles and place them to one side. Heat a large frying pan and add a good splash of olive oil. Gently fry the sausage meatballs until golden brown all over. Remove from pan. Tilt the pan and spoon out most of the fat, leaving about 1T. Add a few splashes of white wine to deglaze the pan. Lower heat and add a drizzle of olive oil. Saute garlic for a few minutes, being careful not to burn. Turn off heat and set pan to the side.

In a large bowl, whip up the egg yolks, cream, half the Parmesan, half the parsley and the lemon zest.

Add 1T of kosher salt to the boiling water, then cook the pasta noodles until al dente. When the pasta is cooked, use a measuring cup to capture some of the cooking water, then drain the noodles in a colander. Immediately transfer it to the large saute pan with the garlic and top with the egg mixture. Toss together. Add the hot sausage meatballs and toss again. The egg will cook delicately from the heat of the linguine, just enough for it to thicken and not scramble. The sauce should be smooth and silky. If the pasta becomes a little claggy, add a few spoonfuls of the reserved cooking water to loosen it slightly.

Season with a touch of garlic salt, a touch of kosher salt and pepper. Stir to combine. Sprinkle the rest of the Parmesan and parsley over the top, drizzle with a touch of extra virgin olive oil and serve. Eat immediately!