ChatterRecipe of the Month July 2012
Pork Belly Carbonara
For the ChatterRecipe this month I decided to ask food photographer and my friend Iain Bagwell, who also happens to be a Cancer born July 13th, to not only provide us with the image this month, but also with one of his favorite recipes. Funnily enough, Iain also knows food shooter Steve Giralt, our ChatterArtist for this month and they have even shot several jobs together, both side by side in the same studio and simultaneously with Steve in New York and Iain in Atlanta, where he is based.
Iain chose this particular dish because he says it combines two of his favorite ingredients, Pork Belly & Pasta, and it is taken from a series he is currently working on for a promotional book dedicated solely to pig body parts – love it! Tori Prendergast is the food stylist working on this project with Iain and she also supplied us with this easy recipe. She can be reached via Twitter: @toriprendergast and to see all of Iain’s beautifully bold work, be sure to go to his website – http://www.iainbagwell.com/. Little does Iain know how perfect it is that he chose a recipe that features cheese, heavy cream and egg yolks! The sign of Cancer is not only connected with milk and dairy products but it also represents the fertility of the woman, and her eggs. Oh yes, and notice also in the photo that he has the egg yolk inside the eggshell on the plate – how Cancerian is that?
Ingredients
1lb box of Pasta (cooked according to package directions)
6 oz of Cured Pork Belly (cut into medium dice)
1 small Red Onion (cut into a fine dice)
1 1/2 cups Heavy Cream
8 Egg Yolks
1/2 cup Parmesan Cheese (grated)
Salt & Black Pepper to taste
Chopped Parsley (for garnish)
Recipe
Heat a large skillet on medium low heat and add the Pork Belly. Cook until golden brown and crispy. Remove from skillet and drain. Add the Red Onion and cook till slightly translucent, about 5 minutes, and turn off the heat. In a mixing bowl, whisk together the Egg Yolks, Heavy Cream, and Parmesan Cheese. Cook your Pastaaccording to the instructions on the box/package and when it is done to your preference, drain the water, and add the Pasta to the skillet. Pour the Heavy Cream Mixture over the Pasta, add the PorkBelly, Salt & Black Pepper. Stir together and serve right away. Finish with additional Parmesan Cheese, if desired, and a little Chopped Parsley.