carbonara, but make it salad

i think a runny egg yolk is just about the absolute hottest thing on the planet. it’s rich and delicious and feels so fancy when it, in fact, is just a raw yolk. it’s sexy without even trying!! we all want to be that! it is nature’s perfect sauce. i want it on everything. i think thats one of the reasons carbonara has always been one of my favorite pastas. it is salty from the pork (wether it be pancetta or guanciale), full of umami from the parmesan, warm from the pepper, and rich from the egg yolk. it is such a comforting mouthful and i think it’s a perfect meal.

this salad has all of those elements but with added acid from the vinaigrette and bitterness from the chicories. chicories are not something that i have always liked because of how bitter they are, but i think this salad will turn anyone onto them. i like them best with something very salty and flavorful to help bring them down a notch. to me, this is perfect.

rich. salty. bitter.

a very impressive dish that takes little to no effort to make. really the only cooking you’re actually doing is frying up the pancetta.

ingredients————————————————

this serves 2. but can be doubled, trippled, etc. to feed more

• 1-2 egg yolks depending on preference (we are a 2 yolk household, 1 yolk per person)

• 1 teaspoon dijon mustard

• 1 tablespoon olive oil

• 2 teaspoon red wine vinegar

• 1/4 teaspoon salt, plus more to taste

• 5-6 full turns of fresh ground black pepper (about 3/4 teaspoon. dial back to 1/2 teaspoon if you are using pre-ground. but also don’t use pre-ground)

• 1/2 lb mix of chicories lettuce. we used 1/2 a small head of radicchio and 2 small endive bunches. escarole would be fantastic as well.

• pancetta, diced into about 1/2-1 in cubes. personal preference.

• 2 teaspoons reserved fat from the pancetta

• 1/4 cup freshly grated parmesan

pancetta gettin crispy!!

instructions—————————————————

1. in a medium bowl add the dijon mustard, red wine vinegar, olive oil, fresh ground black pepper, and salt. whisk to combine.

2. add your diced pancetta to a frying pan (do not preheat the pan) and cook over medium-high heat until the fat has rendered and the pancetta is deep brown and very crispy. using a slotted spoon, transfer the pancetta to a paper towel lined plate and set aside.

3. add 1 teaspoon of the pancetta fat to the dressing and whisk to combine. dip a chicory leaf into the dressing to taste, add more salt (via 1 more teaspoon of pancetta fat or a bit more kosher salt) or more vinegar to taste.
   chicories are a bitter leaf. you want the dressing to be salty and rich from the fat to offset the bitterness of the chicories.

4. add the chicories to the bowl with the dressing and toss with your hands, making sure to get the leaves evenly coated.

5. grate over your parmesan and sprinkle the crispy pancetta over the salad

6. using a fork, in a small bowl beat your egg yolks and use the fork to drizzle the beaten yolks over the salad.

7. eat up