FOODIE FRIDAY #13 - 🍝DUCKing Delicious Fettuccine Carbonara from Scratch🥓

Oh my goodness, you guys... I've been on a bit of a roll lately, taking things to the next level. I don't know what it is that drives me to do these things, but I seem to just have this need to outdo myself. I make something, and then I sit there and start thinking about how I could take it to the next level, to up the flavor, or the decadence, or make it totally ridiculous. Does anyone else do this?

I also have this ever-increasing urge to make things completely from scratch. Maybe it's the control freak in me, being able to control everything from the seasonings, to the texture. And the further I go, the further I want to push it. I'm no longer satisfied with just making the sauce, now I need to make the pasta. Now I've got a handle on making pasta, and do it on a regular basis, let's make our own bacon! Yeah... I seriously think I might have a problem. lol

It's a good thing I don't often have the time or ambition to take these things on, because as the decadence increases, generally, so does the UNhealthy factor. But once in a while, I get an idea, and I just need to go with it, because my brain and my taste buds will not be satiated until I've accomplished my mission.

So today's post is pretty involved, but I just had to share it with you all. Of course, you can choose to try bits and pieces, try to recreate the whole thing, or just live vicariously through the photos, and use your imagination... and shake your head at the ridiculousness that happens in our kitchen from time to time. 😅

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With all that said, let's talk carbonara. It's such a simple dish (it only takes a few ingredients) that you really want to make sure each of those things is good. Like, damn good! The pasta is thoroughly dressed, but with such simple things, you want the pasta to be good! So I make my own. The dressing/sauce is essentially made from cured pork/bacon, onions, eggs, and parmesan cheese. Use good bacon, take the time to properly caramelize those onions, use good eggs (preferably free range - happier chickens = tastier eggs!), and for the love of all that is good in the world, PLEASE use the good cheese! Real parmigiano reggiano, or even grana padano or pecorino romano... none of this pre-grated "parmesan" in a shaker!

Yes, that is homemade bacon. But not just any old bacon... there's no pork involved here. That right there is DUCK BACON! It is the result of an unhealthy obsession with duck, and taking inspiration from cooking shows. I heard mention of it once, and I could not rest until we at least attempted it. And let me tell you, I was not disappointed. After my first taste, I was planning all the things I would do with this precious stuff. It's that good.

I've been experimenting with homemade pasta for a little while, and after an exhausting try or two with mixing by hand, and a few not-so-fun attempts in the stand mixer, I've found happiness with my food processor. It's so easy. And literally no sweat off my brow! Just throw the eggs, oil, flour into the food processor, and drizzle in a bit of water until it starts to come together.

Then dump it out onto your counter, and knead in the loose bits, until it forms a ball.

Wrap it in some plastic, and leave it to rest for a half hour. That's it!

Back to that bacon. I sliced most of it up, to package and freeze for later, and cubed up a bit of it to use in this dish.

Start by rendering down the bacon cubes.

Once they've started to render and brown, add in some diced onion.

Keep the temperature low, and allow the onions to caramelize in the duck fat. (I told you it wasn't healthy. lol) Once it's basically done, I like to add in some minced garlic.

While the bacon and onions are doing their thing, it's time to roll out the pasta. We have a hand-crank pasta roller. We also have an extruder attachment for the stand mixer, which is great for making spaghetti, macaroni, and rigatoni. But this day we wanted to go for fettuccine, so we went with the roller. I've also often rolled sheets with the roller, and cut them by hand, but decided that for this dish, I wanted something thinner/more uniform, so we used the cutter.

Here's how we roll it out. Cut off an egg-sized chunk, sprinkle a bit of flour on, and flatten it a bit with your hands. Then, roll it out with the roller set to its widest setting (7 on our roller). Then, fold it over into thirds, and roll it out again.

Now, set the roller down a couple notches (number 5), and roll again. Then down again (to a 3). It should now be a reasonably even sheet.

We like to continue until we are at the thinnest setting (number 1). If your sheet gets really wonky, or uneven, or the edge catches on one side and makes a weird wrinkly/tattered side, fold it over into thirds again, set the roller 2 notches bigger, and roll it out again. Then continue rolling it thinner, until you reach the thinnest.

I roll everything into sheets before cutting. Dust a generous amount of flour between each sheet, to prevent them sticking together. And, after rolling them through the cutter, I grab each bundle and wrap it around into a loose nest, and dust it liberally with flour as well. When you're about ready to cook the pasta, toss it on the counter a bit, to knock off the excess flour, and make sure it hasn't gotten stuck together.

Oh, and before you sprinkle the pasta in, remember to SALT YOUR WATER!

While your pasta is cooking, get the "sauce" ready. Break some eggs into a bowl, grate in a pile of parmigiano reggiano, salt (we use homemade smoked garlic salt), and freshly ground black pepper. Give it a whisk, and it's ready to go.

Alright, now our bacon is browned, onions caramelized, and pasta cooked. Scoop the pasta out of the water and directly into the bacon/onion pot. You want that little bit of pasta water in there, to help to deglaze the pot, and to add a little liquid, to make the sauce spread, and help it adhere to the fettuccine. After the pasta is in, give it a good stir, then take it off the heat, and pour in the egg mixture. Give it a really thorough stir through, and if it's looking too thick/clumpy, stir in a spoonful of the pasta water. You want it to be saucy, but not soupy.

Scoop up a plateful, and pile on more cheese (I love to use shavings on top, rather than simply grated), and more freshly ground black pepper.

Yum!

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I hope you guys enjoyed this post!

And if you're into the idea of duck bacon, be sure to check back soon, because I've got something much more ridiculous and over-the-top to share with you!