Sausage and Mushroom Carbonara

Sausage and Mushroom Carbonara
1 pound fettuccine
3 tablespoons EVOO, divided
1 pound sweet Italian sausage
1 pound sliced white mushrooms (or baby bellas)
1/4 cup Marsala wine
1 teaspoon dried thyme or 2 tablespoons freshly chopped
1/4 pound bacon, diced
4 cloves chopped garlic
1/2 cup dry white wine
4 large egg yolks
Parmesan cheese, freshly grated (not the stuff in the can! shudder)

Bring pot of water to boil, salt it and add the pasta and cook until al dente.  Drain, reserving one cup of the starchy cooking water.

Meanwhile heat two tablespoons of EVOO in a large skillet over medium-high heat and cook sausage until browned, breaking up as it cooks.  Remove to plate from skillet.  Add remaining tablespoon EVOO to the drippings.  Add mushrooms and cook until browned, 10 -12 minutes.  De-glaze the pan with Marsala and season with thyme, salt and pepper.  Add to plate with sausage.

Add bacon to skillet and cook until browned and starting to crisp.  3-4 minutes.  Stir in the garlic and lots of pepper, being careful not to burn garlic.  Stir in the wine and cook to reduce.  Add the sausage and mushrooms back to skillet.

In a small bowl, beat egg yolks with 1/4 cup of reserved starchy cooking water to temper the eggs.  Add the drained pasta to the skillet and pour the tempered eggs on top.  Add a couple of handfuls of Parmesan cheese and toss to coat.  Add more of the reserved starchy water if needed to smooth out the sauce.  Top with more cheese for serving.

Adapted from Rachael Ray's Carbonara with Sausage and Mushrooms.

Comments