PASTA WITH GREENS CARBONARA

PASTA WITH GREENS CARBONARA image

Categories Pasta

Yield 4

Number Of Ingredients 10

Ingredients

1 small onion, cut into ¼" slices
3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
1 pound washed, young, tender collard greens or kale (flat or curly, I'm not picky, but make sure they're young and tender)
¾ teaspoon smoked paprika (pimentón), or to taste
Fish sauce or good soy sauce, to taste (Or use salt, but these sauces add a lot of depth.)
12 ounces spaghetti or other long pasta
2 eggs (or 3 if you like it good n' creamy)
½ cup Parmesan cheese, grated (or more, to taste)
¼ teaspoon sugar, or to taste (if necessary)
Salt and black pepper, to taste

Steps:

1. In a large sauté pan or Dutch oven, warm the oil over medium-low heat and add the onion. Let it sweat slowly. 2. Meanwhile, strip the greens' leaves from the stems. Taste a small piece of both the leaves and stem. If they're tough, like chewing-on-leather tough, you'll want to cut the greens quite fine and cook them longer. If they're tender and sweet, then we're really in business. 3. Bring a large pot of water to a boil, and add enough salt so that it tastes almost like the sea. 4. Stack the leaves together and roll up like a cigar. Slice the leaves into ribbons about ½" wide, or ¼" if they're on the firmer side. In a bowl, beat together the eggs with the cheese, a pinch of salt, and plenty of black pepper. 5. Turn the heat up to medium-high and add the smoked paprika. Stir to spread it around, then add a few good, healthy shakes of fish sauce or soy sauce. Let the sauce sizzle off and stir in the leaves. Sauté, stirring, until the greens are tender but just a little chewy. Taste them and adjust seasoning with fish sauce, salt and / or sugar, smoked paprika. Turn off heat and reserve, covered. 6. Cook the pasta until al dente and drain, saving a cup of the cooking water. Reheat greens over medium heat, and toss in the pasta-really mix it up to incorporate the two. Off heat, add the egg mixture and stir like the dickens, letting the heat from the pasta thicken the eggs. Add a little of the cooking water to loosen things up and form a smooth sauce. Taste, adjust seasoning with salt, pepper, fish sauce, or cheese, and serve.