Recipe: Gnocchi Carbonara

GNOCCHI CARBONARA

1 package gnocchi
1 egg
1/3 cup Parmesano Reggiano or similar cheese (pecorino, asagio, etc.)
3 slices of thick-cut bacon or pancetta
pepper to taste

You can use fresh gnocchi that you make yourself, of course, but that's a different recipe.  The packaged or frozen stuff will work just fine for this.

First, put a pot of water on to boil.

In a large bowl, mix the egg and the cheese together, and then add the pepper.  Set aside.

Chop the bacon into small pieces (about 1/4 inch square).  Put them in a frying pan over medium to medium-low heat and cook to render out some of the fat.  When it is about halfway cooked through, turn the burner down to low.  You don't want to burn your bacon.

When the water comes to a boil, drop in the gnocchi.  It should only take a couple of minutes to cook.  when it floats, it's done.  Strain the hot gnocchi.

Add a few of the still-hot gnocchi to the egg and cheese mixture, stirring it quickly.  Add a few more gnocchi, continuing to stir, and then do it a third time.  You want to raise the temperature of the egg slowly so that you don't scramble it -- and scrambled eggs is what you'd get if you dumped all the hot pasta into the eggs at once.  After three small additions, it should be fine to add the rest of the gnocchi, stirring.

If the bacon is not cooked through, turn up the heat and cook until crisp.  Drain off most of the fat that rendered out, and then add the bacon to the gnocchi and give it a toss to combine.  Serve hot.