the friday feed: orzotto alla carbonara

One of my New Year's resolutions has been to use pantry items before buying new. There's a lot of pasta boxes on those shelves. The other night T and I went to an Italian restaurant, he was in the mood for Carbonara, but at the last minute chose something else.

A few days later this recipe in the New York Times showed up. I had all the ingredients: orzo, bacon, eggs, shallots, and pecorino, even some homemade chicken broth in the freezer, so guess what was for dinner? 

This took me back to the days of making massive amounts of pasta meals for my sons' high school soccer team dinners. One dish was orzo, red sauce, chicken, and cheese and they loved it for the simple fact that rather than twirling spaghetti on a fork you can dig in with a spoon. 

Orzotto alla Carbonara (New York Times Cooking)

2 to 4 servings

3½ ounces guanciale, pancetta or thick-cut bacon, cut into small dice (⅔ cup)

1¼ cups/about 9 ounces dry orzo

Salt and freshly ground black pepper

3 cups low-sodium chicken broth, plus more as needed

6 tablespoons finely grated Pecorino Romano or Parmesan, plus more for serving

1 large egg plus 2 egg yolks

Step 1
Add the guanciale to a large, high-sided skillet and set over medium heat. Cook, stirring occasionally, until deeply browned and crispy all over, about 5 minutes. Using a slotted spoon, transfer the guanciale to a small dish. Drain off all but 2 tablespoons of the fat from the skillet; reserve the extra fat for another use.

Step 2
Stir the orzo into the fat in the skillet until coated, then season with salt and pepper. Stir constantly for just a few seconds, then add the chicken broth, raise the heat to high and bring to a simmer. Reduce the heat to medium-low to maintain a gentle simmer. Cook, stirring occasionally so the orzo doesn’t stick to the bottom of the skillet, until the orzo is tender and loose like risotto, adding more broth as needed, 7 to 9 minutes. At this point, the pasta should have absorbed most of the liquid.

Step 3
Take the skillet off the heat and vigorously stir in 4 tablespoons of the pecorino. In a small bowl, whisk together the egg and yolks. Stir in the remaining 2 tablespoons pecorino and ¼ cup of the orzo to temper the eggs and prevent them from scrambling when added to the skillet. Stir this mixture into the hot orzo, then immediately shake the skillet with one hand and stir with the other until the orzo is creamy and thick, about 1 minute.

Step 4
Taste and add salt as desired. Divide among plates and sprinkle with more pecorino, black pepper and the reserved guanciale.