This was a massive hit when I put it on the menu at the Cavalry Club, and it’s MY recipe, so I figured “Why not share it? Hell, why not share a bunch of the plates I had on the menu at the Cavalry Club?” So expect to see several recipes in the future for not only dishes made at home but also ones made in a professional kitchen for you to try! Even though this dish was prepared with shrimp, there’s nothing wrong with swapping the shrimp for chicken or any other protein you may prefer.
Recipe is counted for 4 plates
Ingredients :
1lb spaghetti
6 egg yolks (egg whites not needed, so separate the yolks and discard the whites or set aside for use another time)
2 cups English spring peas
2 cups diced pancetta
20 jumbo shrimp, peeled and de-veined
1/2 cup Pecorino Romano cheese
1 tbsp Kosher salt
1 tsp Kosher Salt
1/2 tsp ground black pepper
1/2 tsp granulated onion
1/2 tsp granulated garlic
Olive oil
1 cup white wine
Directions :
Partially butterfly the shrimp by running a knife across the back of the shrimp without cutting all of the way through. The backs should open up like the wings of a butterfly.
Mix teaspoons of salt, pepper, garlic and onion together and set aside.
Fill a large pot with water, add 1 tbsp Kosher salt and bring to a boil.
Add spaghetti to boiling water and stir regularly to prevent sticking.
Once cooked al dente, drain water and set cooked pasta aside.
While pasta is cooking, heat a large saute pan on high heat. Once pan is hot, reduce heat to medium.
Add a drizzle of oil to the hot pan. The oil should immediately shimmer. Tilt the pan to spread the oil across the surface.
Add shrimp to saute pan and season gently with seasoning mix from earlier. Toss the shrimp in the pan to prevent burning, cook until both sides turn white with red striping and the centers are no longer gray.
Once cooked, remove shrimp from heat.
Add pancetta to the pan and stir constantly to prevent sticking and burning. Once pancetta becomes fragrant and browning, remove pan from heat and add the white wine.
Ignite the wine by tilting the pan over the flame if using a gas burner stove or with a lighter if using electric. Be careful, as flames will shoot up quickly. Allow the flames to burn for 1 minute before extinguishing with a lid that covers the pan entirely.
Add the peas to the pan and continue to toss to mix with pancetta.
Turn off the heat and add the egg yolks. Whisk heavily to keep the yolks from scrambling.o
Once yolks are emulsified, add the pasta to the sauce and mix thoroughly.
Add 1/4 cup Romano cheese, mixing thoroughly to coat the pasta.
Plate pasta by picking up with tongs, placing onto the center of a plate without letting go. Swirl the pasta clockwise to create a spiraled pile. Add the shrimp to the plate with four shrimp on the sides and one in the center. Garnish with additional Romano cheese if desired.
This is a complex dish and can be very intimidating for the first time making it. I struggled with carbonara for a while before I got my sauce right. The biggest trick is to only use medium heat on your saute pan so that once you turn off the heat before adding the egg yolk, the heat won’t be so intense that the yolk begins to scramble before it can be mixed. The sauce should have a creamy consistency instead of a chunky, scrambled egg texture.