Chef Michael Elefante from Mama Louisa's is one of the competitors in this years Iron Chef Tucson event. He cooks up some Pasta Carbonara for us to gear up for the competition and shares the recipe here.
Pasta Carbonara:
1 pound dry pasta
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
4 ounces pancetta or slab bacon, cubed or sliced into small strips
4 garlic cloves, finely chopped
½ medium white onion
2 large eggs
1 1/2 cup fresh grated Parmesan Cheese
Fresh ground black pepper
1 bunch fresh flat-leaf parsley, rough chopped
Start the sauce while the pasta is cooking for best results. You want to make sure that the pasta will be hot and ready when your sauce is finished. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil, add the pasta and cook for 8 minutes or until pasta is tender. Drain the pasta but DO NOT RINSE, reserve 1/2 cup of the starch water to use in the sauce. Heat the olive oil in a deep skillet over medium heat. Add the pancetta and saute for about 3 minutes, until the bacon is crisp and the fat is rendered. Toss the garlic and onion into the fat and saute for until the onion begins to soften. Add the hot, drained pasta to the pan and toss for 2 minutes to coat the strands in the bacon fat. Beat the eggs and Parmesan together in a mixing bowl, stirring well to prevent lumps. Remove the pan from the heat and pour the egg/cheese mixture into the pasta, stirinng quickly until the eggs thicken, but do not scramble. (this is done off the heat to ensure this does not happen.) Thin out the sauce with a bit of the reserved pasta water or cream, until it reaches desired consistency. Season the carbonara with fresh ground black pepper and taste for salt. Plate carbonara you’re your favorite bowl or plate and garnish with chopped parsley the rest of the parmesan cheese.
Meet your chefs for the 2017 Iron Chef Tucson Competition! Congratulations to Chef Travis Peters from The Parish and Chef Michael Elefante from Mama Louisa's for moving on to compete for the 2017 Stella Artois Iron Chef Tucson crown! We are excited to have two fierce competitors that will show off their skills during the competition on Saturday, June 3rd at the Westin La Paloma. Be sure to get your tickets for the event!
http://www.ironcheftucson.com/tickets
