Hi, Hivers!

I hope everyone is healthy and doing great :)

I'm really happy to be part of the Hive Top Chef competition for a second time now. You may want to click on the link to learn about it and, perhaps, participate. There's a new ingredient every week; this time it was egg yolk.

On this occasion, I've gone for homemade pappardelle alla carbonara. I've made these pappardelle about 2.5 cm wide with a dough that I made with wheat flour and an egg yolk; in addition, I've made old-fashioned carbonara with egg yolks and garlic. And that's just it, a lot of egg yolks! No milk, no cream, no cornstarch. You may want to read on to find out how I made this nutritious, delicate and economical dish at home.

I made my own pasta easily, without much mess, and really fast.

Carbonara made this way is the creamiest you'll ever taste. Promise.

It's a simple recipe, but as any classical dish, it has a story to tell. Carbonara was born in northern Italy during the Second World War, or so they say; it's said that a group of miners turned to an Italian cook to prepare a different dish with the ingredients that abounded in their supplies: eggs and bacon. You may guess what happened next... Those who love Italian pasta may tell you this is food with heart, of great flavor and an unctuous texture, which makes you fall in love with it.

For homemade pappardelle:

200 gr all-purpose wheat flour
1 egg yolk
1 tablespoon olive oil
75 ml water
1/3 teaspoon salt

Homemade pasta is more fleshy and has better flavor, in my opinion, if we add only the egg yolk instead of the whole egg; you just have to be careful to follow the steps so that it turns out well.

Weigh 200 grams of flour and sift it into a bowl large enough to knead comfortably. As I made my dough by hand, I press into the mound of flour to create a volcano hole in the center, then I pour in the egg yolk, olive oil, water, and salt.

Immediately, start kneading from the center. In this way, you ensure that all ingredients are homogeneously integrated.

As this dough has only yolk instead of the whole egg, you will notice that it is a little hard.

Work it for a couple of minutes. You'll see that after a couple of minutes, all the ingredients are well integrated; however, the dough is still rough and so we cannot roll it out yet, or the dough will not be uniform or have a good texture. So you'll have to cover it with the bowl upside down, for example, for half an hour, so that the ingredients finish firming up.

You'll notice how the dough becomes softer; then you can work it out another minute before rolling it out. Sprinkle some flour on the surface of both the countertop and the dough. Roll out the dough to a thickness of 2-3 millimeters.

This should look like a sheet of dough.

It should be the same thickness throughout. Then you can cut the pappardelle ribbons with the help of a pizza cutter (dough cutter, knife, etc...).

I usually cut the pappardele ribbons to 3 cm or a little more. Today I cut them to 2.5 cm approx., according to the book 😇 As a rule, pasta dough is left to rest under a clean, dry cloth after it has been rolled out and before cutting. But today I didn't have much time available 👹

I rolled up the ribbons and left them out in the open while I did the rest. I got 290 gr of pasta, including the edges which, although not the prettiest, also went into the pot! This would be enough for 3 people, as it's a robust pasta.

After a while, the water was boiling, ready for the pappardelle to cook.

It will only take 6 minutes to be ready, so hurry up and make the sauce!

Now let's make old-fashioned carbonara!

This is that kind of sauce you make when the pasta is starting to cook. It is usually the other way around, but not when it comes to old-fashioned carbonara, as the hot pasta + the hot water where it is cooking will help cook the raw egg yolks in the sauce as you serve it.

I'll be using 6 egg yolks I like to use 2 or 3 yolks per dish. This is a matter of taste.

150 grams of grated Parmesan cheese.

150 gr chopped bacon

Fresh garlic, crushed, 3 tablespoons

Freshly ground black pepper and a little salt

First of all, cook the bacon and garlic. We need the bacon to be very crispy; for this, it should be cooked in a covered frying pan, over medium-low heat and when it's about 1 minute away from being ready, we can add the crushed garlic. This will go into the sauce without the oil that is left in the pan. You can find many other uses for this oil, as it has an intense aroma.

In a bowl large enough to hold the sauce and pasta, and while the bacon and garlic are cooking, whisk together the egg yolks, cheese and freshly ground black pepper. I mix it well and add hot water from the pot where the pasta is still cooking. Then I add the hot pasta and mix well. According to the book, you should add the water after the pasta, but I'm telling you this way works better for me.