Prairie Tomme Carbonara

It’s the perfect time of year to start brushing up on some cozy dishes! For this recipe, we made a simple change to one of our favorite comfort foods: Spaghetti Carbonara. Traditionally, carbonara is made with equal parts Pecorino Romano and Parmigiano Reggiano. Pecorino Romano is one of the most famous sheep’s milk cheeses: “pecorino” meaning “from the ewe” in Italian. For this recipe, we simply switched out Pecorino Romano for our Prairie Tomme – an aged sheep’s milk cheese that is salty and perfect for grating. We hope you enjoy this delicious and simple way use one of our cheeses!

You can buy Prairie Tomme here!

Ingredients:

•  2 large eggs and 2 large yolks, room temperature
• 1/3 cup packed grated Prairie Tomme (plus additional for serving)
• 1/3 cup packed grated Parmigiano Reggiano
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 4 ounces guanciale, pancetta or bacon cut into 1/4 inch thick pieces
• 12 ounces spaghetti
• salt
• coarsely ground black pepper

Directions:

Bring a large pot of water to boil with a tablespoon of salt added. Fill a separate large glass bowl with boiling water and set aside.

In a mixing bowl, whisk together the eggs, yolks, Prairie Tomme and Parmigiano. Add a pinch of salt and lots of black pepper.

Heat olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the pork and cook until the fat just renders and the meat is just short of crispy. Remove from heat and set aside.

Add pasta to the boiling water and cook until its just firmer than al dente. Reheat the pan of pork just before the pasta is ready. Pull 1 cup of pasta water, then drain the pasta and add to the skillet over low heat. Stir to incorporate.

Dump the hot water from the glass bowl. Dry it and add the hot pasta mixture. Stir in cheese mixture, adding pasta water if needed to make it creamier. Serve immediately with extra black pepper and shaved Prairie Tomme on top.