Bacon Orzo Carbonara
What you will need
500g orzo
10 rashers of smoked streaky Spoilt Pig Bacon
A large handful of roughly chopped fresh spinach
2 Eggs
100g grated cheddar Cheese
A small handful of fresh parsley finely chopped
Ground black pepper
How to prepare
Cover the orzo in boiling water, bring to the boil and simmer for 10 minutes or until cooked.
In the meantime, fry the bacon rashers in a large non-stick pan for 5-7 minutes on a medium high heat, turning regularly until crispy.
Remove the bacon from the pan and turn off the heat.
Cut 7 of the rashers into bite size pieces. Finely chop the remaining 3 rashers into a bacon crumb. Mix the crumb with some finely chopped fresh parsley.
Return the bacon pieces to the cold pan and set the bacon crumb aside.
Add the fresh spinach to the bacon pan with a generous grind of black pepper.
Beat the eggs in a bowl, season with black pepper and stir in the grated cheese.
Use a slotted spoon to lift the cooked orzo from the pan. Allow the water to drain each time before adding it to the bacon and spinach frying pan. This will give you a little starchy pasta water to help thicken the sauce.
Ensuring the pan is off the heat, quickly pour over the eggy cheese. Stir it around the pan until the cheese has melted, the spinach has wilted and the egg has combined into a silky sauce.
Don’t be tempted to turn the hob back on or you’ll get scrambled egg!
Divide between 4 bowls and sprinkle with some of the bacon and parsley crumb and a little more black pepper.
